Old Promises and New Beginnings
by ThatBrownEyedIrishGirl
Summary: Evanna Gilbert finds herself caught in the crossfire when a new threat arrives in Mystic Falls, and slowly, she learns that even the people she trusted the most have their secrets. Question is; can she handle the truth, or will she run away from it? Fourth in the 'Vampire Diaries: Evanna-Verse' series.
1. Chapter 1

**Vampire Diaries**

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

_"Once upon a time..."_

_Evanna Gilbert laughed, running her fingertips along the tops of the multiple photo frames on the mantlepiece,"Grandad, I'm a little old for fairy tales."_

_Grant Keaton gave his granddaughter a dramatically incredulous look,"Nonsense. Nobody is too old for fairy tales." He took a deep breath,"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood..."_

_Evanna grimaced,"Grandad, once you know the original version of that story, it's kinda hard to look at it the same."_

_"Hey! You're a witch, believe in the magic."_

_Evanna laughed, holding up her hands in surrender before turning back to the photos,"Fine, I'll bite."_

_"Good. Now, one day, Little Red Riding Hood decided to visit her grandmother, who lived in a small cottage in the woods. It was a dangerous trail for a young girl, but Little Red was brave." Evanna heard Grant sigh behind her and knew he was reclining in that leather brown recliner of his._

_"Little Red set out for the day, her signature red cape tied tightly and her hood up. In her hands, she carried a picnic basket."_

_"Which should have been full of wolfsbane." Evanna snorted._

_"On the path to her grandmother's house, however, Little Red ran into some trouble. Because unbeknownst to her, someone was waiting for her. Some __**thing**__." Grant paused,"And Little Red never saw it coming."_

_Evanna froze at the change in her grandfather's usually gentle voice. It was much harsher, threatening even, and it made her frown. _

_"Grandad, that's not -" She cut herself off, looking around herself. Gone was the familiar warmth of her grandparent's living room, and in it's place were trees._

_Nothing but trees._

_Evanna raised an eyebrow, glancing around herself,"Grandad?"_

_Evanna stepped forward, and heard the sound of crackling a short distance away. Glancing to the side, she saw the golden light reflecting on a tree and headed towards it._

_A campfire._

* * *

_Evanna tilted her head as she watched the little girl who sat on her knees, excitedly searching for something in her little pink back pack._

_This girl was familiar, but unfamiliar too. This little girl was someone she knew, but someone she had lost a long time ago._

_It was her. It was who she had once been._

_The little girl looked tiny compared to the surrounding woods. Sitting on a log by a small fire, she obviously decided that whatever she was searching for wasn't worth it, and instead took to poking the fire with a stick, watching as the small embers floated into the air and down again, disappearing in the air. _

_Evanna stepped forward. _

_Crouching down beside the little girl, Evanna locked eyes with her younger self. The smaller version of her gave her a smile._

_"Grams, Grandpa and I are camping." The eleven year old grinned excitedly,"We hated the bugs, but we still loved it. You remember that, right?"_

_Evanna nodded softly,"I remember..."_

_The little girl grinned again, turning her attention back to the fire. The flames illuminated her innocent face, her brown eyes sparkling as she smiled softly, suddenly looking as though she had been through hell and back. _

_"He's coming, you know... For us. Nobody knows, but us."_

_Evanna frowned,"What?"_

_"You felt it. When you left your house, you felt him. He was watching you, but you didn't know it. And he got you. That's how you're here, but he's not done."_

_Evanna looked around them, her eyes scanning the trees. She thought she saw a flash of something, but it was gone when she looked back, so she put it down to paranoia._

_Looking back at herself, she narrowed her eyes,"Who is he?"_

_The little girl didn't reply, her eyes focused on something in the distance._

_Slowly, she stood up, and approached the bushes, staring up at the sky._

_"Don't let him take me away. I'm __**you**__. If you lose __**me**__, you lose __**yourself**_._.." The little girl turned back, locking eyes with her older self, and nodding softly,"Don't let him take us away."_

_Evanna opened her mouth to speak, only to stumble back as long, winding tendrils of smoke began pouring out of the bushes, wrapping around the little girl. In an explosion of light, Evanna unshielded her eyes to find that she was alone._

_Evanna rushed towards the spot the little girl had disappeared, crashing through the tall bushes..._

* * *

_And pulling up short in her bedroom._

_"Seriously?" She grumbled under her breath, and headed out into the hallway. She ran towards Elena's room and threw open the door._

_"Elena, wake up." She called, hurrying over to the bundle of blankets and shaking the girl._

_Elena's head rolled to one side, revealing the bite on her neck. Evanna pulled her hands away in fright and noticed they were covered in blood._

_Elena's blood._

_"Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Evanna began to hyperventilate and stumbled out of the room, headed for Jeremy's room._

_"Jeremy!" She banged on the door,"Jeremy, help! Elena's been attacked!"_

_She didn't wait for Jeremy to answer, running into her room and straight into the bathroom. She grabbed a cloth from the railing, and turned the tap on. As the water began to soak through the material, she glanced up at her reflection._

_Evanna gasped, dropping the cloth into the sink. Her hands went to her face, her bloody fingertips leaving burgundy smudges on her skin as they roamed over the bumpy veins under her black eyes. Her lips curled over her teeth, revealing the long fangs._

_Her eyes went to her hands again, and her panic rose to a new level. Had she done that?_

_"You know it was you." An accusing voice sounded from the doorway. Her eyes snapped to the boy._

_"Jeremy? Jer, what happened here?"_

_Jeremy stared back at her, his eyes blank and his face void of expression. His clothes and hands were covered in blood and as she peered closer, she noticed the bite on his neck._

_Not him too._

_"Everything is your fault. All of it."_

_"Jer, I -"_

_"You're a monster."_

_Evanna felt fingers wrap around her throat from behind and she was lifted off the ground._

_Her body crashed into the mirror, and the glass smashed into pieces, each shard feeling like hot lava as it pierced her skin._

_**He **__bent over her, grinning manically, the same way he had when he had killed her._

_"You're a monster, Evanna." Jeremy's voice sounded again, though it was distant._

_The stake __**he**__ held in his hands came up into the air and as it swung down towards her heart, Evanna clamped her eyes shut._

_"Sweetheart, you are exactly like me..."_

* * *

**So, I suppose you could call this a teaser rather than a chapter, but I still hope you guys enjoyed.**

**It's only the beginning.**

**Let me know what you all think, and I will see you all soon! :)**

**Also, I apologize for the Italics. It's just how I differentiate between dreams/flashbacks/visions and the present. Hope I didn't cause anyone any issues.**

**~ Megan.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Damon Salvatore was numb.

It wasn't the kind of numb that came from flipping the switch on his emotions so that he couldn't feel anything. No, it was the kind of numb that came as a result from feeling _too much._

So much had happened in just a few hours that he could no longer think straight. The world around him was blurry and full of noise that he tried to shut out, but couldn't.

Damon could still hear Elena's desperate sobbing that never seemed to cease for a second in the next room, and Stefan's soothing whispers that, while filled with best intentions, weren't helping the distraught doppelganger.

Damon could still hear Jeremy throwing something out back. The methodical thumping reminded him of a football bouncing off a wall, and Damon suddenly remembered the neighbor's football that Klaus had fired into the house not two days before.

And Damon could still hear Alaric's desperate attempt at consoling the teenage boy, even as he himself gave into his grief and hit the bottle.

But what Damon couldn't hear was the _one _thing he wanted to hear, and that was the comforting and beautifully familiar sound of Evanna Gilbert's heartbeat.

That was gone forever.

The race had been on from the moment Jamie burst into the Gilbert house, a hand pressed against the angry bump forming on his forehead as he frantically asked if Evanna had returned. And then Damon appeared, carrying Alaric's rapidly deteriorating form and panic had spread like wildfire through their group.

Sheila was called, with Monica remaining at home with Jackson, and she had quickly began a locator spell, whilst Matt, Caroline, Stefan, Damon and Elena went out looking for the little witch and Meredith took Jamie to the emergency room. Jeremy stayed with Sheila and Alaric.

However, when they all rounded back to the Gilbert house, Sheila told them her spell wasn't working. Her magic was being blocked.

Shortly after that, Alaric clutched at his chest and fell to the ground.

Dead.

They had all stared at his body in shock before Elena's heartbroken wail pierced the stunned silence that had settled. Sheila had begun her second attempt at the spell, pushing herself so hard that she almost fainted, but it paid off.

Damon had disappeared only a second after Sheila announced the location of Evanna.

_No_, Damon thought, shaking his head. _Evanna's body._

He would remember the moment he found her for the rest of his eternal life. He had refused to believe what they all knew was the truth until he saw it himself, and even when he did find her, he desperately tried to cling onto that last remaining morsel of hope.

Laying in the middle of a small clearing, her cardigan coated in her own blood and her body still, he knew. Damon had collapsed beside her, taking her small body into his arms and defeated, he had let the tears fall as he stared helplessly into the sky, as if he was begging some higher power to fix what he could not.

There was no way to fix it anymore. Everything was gone.

The only thing that brought him back to his senses was the ringing of his cellphone. A part of him swore the familiar tone was almost frantic, and slowly, he raised it to his ear and listened numbly to what his little brother had to say.

But had Damon been paying attention to the body in his arms, he would have known what Stefan was going to say before even Stefan knew. He would not have missed the slight frown that appeared on her pale face, or the way her fingers twitched against his stomach.

He would have been prepared for the impetuous gasp that came from her as Evanna's brown eyes snapped open.

* * *

It was quickly approaching three AM, and Damon could tell that everyone in the house were finally sleeping.

Except for him. He needed to be awake.

There were so many questions buzzing around his head anyway. Like, who would do this? Why hadn't Alaric stayed dead? Where did they all go from here? Would Evanna choose to turn, or would she choose the more grizzly alternative?

Damon wouldn't lie and say he had never thought about this happening. Heck, he had almost caused this a few months beforehand, but this time was different. This time, whoever had been behind it, had succeeded.

Evanna whimpered softly, shifting beneath the covers as her delicate features scrunched up in turmoil. Damon's heart broke for her. He had been there himself, he had been in transition, and it wasn't fun.

Evanna began to cry in her sleep, thrashing about.

"Hey, hey, Evanna, stop." Damon admonished gently, pulling the covers back and slipping under, wrapping his arms around the girl's waist and pulling her towards him. He smoothed back her curly hair and kept his lips pressed against her scorching forehead. Evanna relaxed, curling up in his embrace and settling down again.

Damon hugged her close, burying his face in her hair to hide his own anguish as the reality came crashing down on him.

Evanna Gilbert was in transition, and in less than twenty-four hours, she would have to make the choice.

Turn, or die.

* * *

It was encroaching six-fifteen that Friday morning when Evanna finally opened her eyes for the first time since Damon had found her.

Stefan had already woken up and was downstairs interrogating Alaric in the kitchen. The man sat across from him, drinking blood from a blood bag as Stefan watched him.

"I'm telling you, Stefan." Alaric sighed, setting the empty bag down,"It's _me_. I don't know how, but it's _me._"

"I've heard that before."

"There - there must have been some sort of loophole. I mean, my life is linked to Evanna's, but maybe because she came back, I did too."

Stefan folded his arms,"So why aren't you out there trying to kill some vampires? Why haven't you tried anything on Damon and I?"

"Because I don't want to hurt you two, Stefan. I did, but that wasn't me. That was..." Alaric paused,"... the hunter."

Stefan raised an eyebrow at Alaric's calculating expression,"What?"

"Maybe that was Esther's plan. Maybe she wasn't trying to kill _me. _Think about it, how would she have known that Evanna would die only a few days after she made me into some psycho vampire killer? She thought I would have years to kill vampires, not days. Other than the purpose of getting rid of as many vampires, she had no need for me. She wouldn't have cared what happened to me after Evanna died..."

Stefan pursed his lips,"It's plausible... but I'm not relaxing yet."

"I wasn't counting on it." Alaric glanced up at the ceiling,"You hear that?"

Stefan glanced up too and nodded, sharing a look with the other vampire.

"Evanna's awake."

* * *

Damon had moved from the bed a little while before and now resumed his position on the window seat.

Evanna let out a small, barely audible whimper as she turned, stretching out her stiff muscles. Evanna's eyes fluttered open, and her frantic eyes scanned the room, though she relaxed when she realized she was safe at home.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her gaze finding Damon, who smiled softly.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakes..."

"Ugh," Evanna groaned, elevating her body so she was leaning against her headboard.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I got run over by a truck a couple hundred times." She reached up and used her hand as a shield from a sliver of light that attacked her sensitive eyes,"Could you close that curtain a little, please?"

Damon nodded and pulled the fabric over, dulling the glare of the sunshine that poured in. He moved over and sat on the edge of her bed, taking her hand in his,"Do you remember what happened after... the phone call?"

Evanna looked away from him and began to absentmindedly play with a loose thread on her blanket,"Uh... I went back to Jamie. He... he was unconscious, and I got grabbed." She ran a hand over her face,"He fed me his blood - why would he do that?"

_So it was a he..._

Damon stored that away for later. He shrugged his shoulders softly,"I don't know."

"He told me there were no hard feelings." Evanna recalled, her eyebrows knitting together.

"What do you mean?"

"Right before I..." She shifted uncomfortably,"... died, he said there were no hard feelings. That I was... the common denominator to both his problems."

Realization flashed across her face then,"Damon, I'm in transition, aren't I?"

Damon swallowed and the look in his eyes answered her question. Just then, the door opened and Stefan appeared.

"Hey," He gave her a comforting smile,"Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Stefan took a seat on the other side of her bed,"How're you doing?"

"Okay, I think." Evanna replied,"So, what happens now? I feed or I die, right?"

"Yes."

"No."

Both Damon and Evanna stared at Stefan, eyebrows raised.

"What are you talking about, brother?"

"Sheila's looking for a way to reverse the transition." Stefan answered.

Evanna closed her eyes and sighed as the brothers argued.

"There is no third option, Stefan. She either feeds, or she dies."

"Well, either way, whatever she chooses, we have to let her. No matter how we feel."

Damon glared at his brother and Evanna cleared her throat, raising her hand.

"Uh, hi, are we forgetting that _she _happens to be right here?"

Stefan gave her an apologetic look,"Sorry. Are you feeling up for visitors? Elena and Jeremy are downstairs. Rick is too."

Evanna's head snapped up and she felt as though she had been winded,"Rick?"

"He's back." Stefan nodded,"We don't know how or why yet, but he's back."

"And he's Rick? Like, _our _Rick?"

"It's too early to tell but..." Stefan shared a look with Damon and nodded,"We think so."

"Oh, my God. Yeah, send them up." Evanna then paused,"But wait, what am I supposed to say? What's the protocol here?"

"You don't have to say anything." Damon assured,"Just let them fuss over you..."

"Right, I can do that... I think."

* * *

Evanna's morning was filled with visitors.

Monica dropped by, even her family made the drive down to see her but she sent them away after a few hours. She was trying to downplay the situation, and spent most of the time in her bedroom while Damon and Stefan gave her space by staying downstairs with Alaric.

She had convinced Elena and Jeremy to go to school, and it was almost the end of the school day when Sheila arrived at the house.

Damon answered the door, stepping back to allow the witch entrance. It was clear she had been crying, and the woman looked as though she hadn't slept, which Damon realized, was probably the reality.

"Hey," Stefan entered the hallway,"Anything yet?"

"Not yet." Sheila sighed,"I'm still looking. Is Evanna upstairs?"

Damon nodded curtly, and Sheila headed up, knocking gently on Evanna's closed door.

"Come in. Oh, hey, Grams."

Sheila walked over and enveloped Evanna in a hug, sitting down beside her,"Honey, how are you feeling?"

Evanna mustered a smile and a noncommital shrug,"Five by five. A little weak. My eyes are killing me and everything's ... loud, but other than that, I'm okay."

"I will find something to fix this, okay? I promise."

Evanna took a deep breath, and almost caved and told her grandmother what was grating on her mind, but seeing the look of determination in her grandmother's cat-like green eyes, she only had the heart to take a deep breath, and nod.

"I know you'll do everything you can..."

* * *

**Woo! Chapter two! I should not be this excited, but I am pumped! I am also scorching because the temperature in Ireland is still crazy high.**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Evanna's in transition and what's gonna happen between her and Damon? Will Sheila find something, or will Evanna have to choose between non-living life, or actual death? Oh, I confused myself...**

**Well, chapter three will be up in a few days, so until then, let me know what you think of this chapter, and let me know who **_**you **_**think is behind all of this.**

**Can't wait to hear your thoughts and thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed! See you in a few days :)**

**~ Megan.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Sheila had remained with her for some time before heading home to continue her search, not wanting to waste any more time. After school, everyone came by, and Stefan filled them in on the big plan. They could not get behind it fast enough.

Realizing her loved ones were so amped about it led Evanna to plaster on the fake smiles and hope nobody noticed she was faking.

Someone did.

Just as she entered her bedroom, letting the door close behind her, Damon appeared, slipping inside before the door could close on him.

Evanna didn't even look at him until she sat down on the window seat he had occupied hours before, and when she finally did lock eyes with him, he knew she was anticipating his next words. Damon opened his mouth to say something, but stopped; too many ears could be listening in.

"Don't worry about anyone hearing us; I put a spell on my room months ago that blocks any supernatural being from hearing inside - it's just you and me."

Damon nodded then and sat down beside her.

"You don't think Sheila will find anything."

Evanna shook her head.

"Why not?"

"It seems unrealistic to me. Magic can do a lot of things, but if it could reverse transition, don't you think it would have been done before?"

Damon pursed his lips in consideration,"So, why haven't you told your friends this? Or your grandmother?"

Evanna smiled wistfully,"They have hope. Who am I to take that away from them?" She took a deep breath,"Besides, you don't think they'll find anything either."

"I didn't say that."

Evanna gave him a wry look,"You didn't have to. Look, Damon, right now, you're the only one I can talk to about this. You're the only one who won't respond with 'we'll find something' so, I need to ask you something."

"Okay..."

"What happens if I turn?"

"Then you turn."

"No, like... long term. What if I hurt somebody?"

Damon faltered. The right, comforting response would be to tell her that she wouldn't, but Damon knew she wasn't looking to be consoled. She wanted a serious answer, so he gave it to her.

"Then we deal. Accidents happen, Evanna, whether you're a vampire or not. But you wouldn't be alone in this; you have Stefan, Alaric, Monica, Caroline and... and you _know _you have me."

Evanna locked eyes with him and swallowed before looking away again. Damon resisted the urge to take her hand as he continued.

"We can help you control yourself. Nobody is going to look down on you if you decide you want to be a vampire, you don't have to worry about that."

"I didn't say I was."

Damon smirked,"You didn't have to."

Evanna pushed him playfully,"Don't use my words against me."

Her brief good mood disappeared as soon as it came and she fiddled with the hem of her top,"I'm not ready to die. I'm..." She shifted awkwardly, letting out a sigh,"I'm scared."

Damon hesitated for just half a second before wrapping his arm around her, pulling her to him,"I know. You don't have to do this alone."

Evanna felt him press a kiss to her hair before he whispered in her ear softly.

"I'm never going to leave you. I can promise you that."

* * *

Despite getting weaker by the hour, Evanna asked Damon to drive her to the graveyard. He was apprehensive, but knew she wanted to visit her grandfather and caved, promising to pick her up whenever she was ready.

Evanna rarely spoke when she visited her grandfather's grave. Mostly, she just sat there, thinking about life and replaying memories in her head. Her nightmare was still stuck in her mind, and she regretted telling Damon she wanted to be alone. Things might be ... different between them, but at least she felt safe with him. Not exposed, like how she felt now, out in the open. She tried to push the nightmare away from her mind - it was just a nightmare. It didn't mean anything. She had had plenty of nightmares in her lifetime.

Evanna then found herself wishing she hadn't sent her mother home. Shaking her head, she moved from Grant's grave and found the Gilbert plot. She traced the names of her fallen loved ones; Miranda, Grayson, Jenna and John.

She then glanced over it and saw Vicki Donovan's grave and shook her head sadly. Her eyes scanned the headstones surrounding her.

Evanna was thankful the sun was going down early that day so her eyes weren't in as much pain from the light, but it also made her uneasy as a wave of fear crashed down on her. It was like the perfect symbol. The sun was going down as time was running out, and the moon would soon rise, creating a new feel to things.

Suddenly, the situation really did hit her like a ton of bricks. It was seven-twenty and she had less than five hours to make a decision that, either way, would change her life forever.

Five hours was a long time, she knew that, but with a decision as severe as the one she would have to make looming over her head, time seemed to be flying by. She felt dizzy, and sick, and didn't know if it was a result of the transition process or her fear.

Evanna began to hyperventilate and sat down on the ground, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. She couldn't fall apart, not now. Not when she had to think straight.

Evanna slowly came back to herself, and a frown settled on her features as she leaned her back against the headstone, letting her eyes roam around the headstones again.

The graveyard looked almost cramped, and she knew why. So many people had died, and so many people's heart's broke when they came to visit these resting places and saw the names of people they had known forever.

Evanna pulled her body up and sighed heavily, turning around to look at the Gilbert's family plot again. She tried to imagine her name on the flawless marble headstone, pushing away the morbid feeling she got from it, and realized she couldn't see it.

Shaking her head again, she said a silent goodbye and exited the graveyard.

* * *

It must have been around seven-thirty when Matt Donovan finally finished with football practice. His plan was to head straight over to the Gilbert house to see Evanna, but he realized he didn't have to when he saw her emerge from the graveyard gates, phone in hand.

He pulled over, rolling down the window,"Hey, what're you doing out here?"

Matt tried to ignore the obvious signs that she wasn't well. Her shoulders were tense, and her skin was pale, but the shadows under her eyes were dark.

"Visiting." His childhood best friend shrugged. Matt pushed the passenger side door open for her and she climbed in, sending a text to Damon, telling him she was with Matt and she was okay. Matt gave her a brotherly squeeze and pulled back.

"I know you're probably sick of hearing this, but how are you?"

"Tired." Evanna answered honestly,"Weak. This transition is really starting to kick my ass."

"Then let's get you home."

* * *

The graveyard was a little ways from her house, and Matt took the back road so they wouldn't have to face the traffic as everyone left work for the day.

There was nothing but road and trees, and the conversation was easy between the two close friends. Evanna remembered back to the time she crashed on this road the year before and how it led to an impromptu trip to Atlanta with Damon. She pushed the memory away, as Matt opened his mouth to speak at the same time she looked up at the road ahead.

In a blink of an eye, there was a man standing in their path, and Evanna's deja vu came back full force. She knew where this was going...

"Matt! Watch out!"

Matt looked back, and the car swerved. It flew off the road, but instead of tumbling like hers had, it went head first into a large chestnut tree. Their bodies lurched forward, with Matt's head connecting painfully with the steering wheel, enough to knock him out. Evanna managed to block her head from connecting with the dash by throwing her arms out, but the glass from the smashed in windshield grazed her forehead and a warm trickle of blood seeped into her hairline and trickled down the side of her face.

The entire front of the truck was crushed, making the driver's and passenger's seats incredibly compact.

Dazed, Evanna reached out to Matt,"Mattie, c'mon, wake up."

He didn't, but he was breathing, she knew that. Evanna undid her seat belt and slowly climbed out from the wreckage. Glancing around the deserted road, she noticed the man was gone, and made her way around the back of the car to get to Matt's side. Pulling open the door with a grunt, she reached across his lap and removed his seat belt. Evanna didn't know whether to move him or not, but in the situation they were in, she decided she had no other choice.

Moving his arm around her shoulder, and slipping her arm around his waist, she pulled him out, his weight entirely on her. They toppled to the ground and she slid out from under him, having broken his fall.

"Ow," She winced and then, bending over him, she tapped his face gently,"Matt, you gotta wake up."

They needed help. Evanna climbed shakily to her feet, and moved as fast as she could over to her side of the car, rooting through the debris for her phone. She found it, not in great condition, but still working, and went about dialing Damon's number.

Just as she was about to press call, a voice stopped her.

"Drop the phone, or I kill the quarterback."

Evanna froze, the phone slipping from her grasp as her eyes snapped up,"You..."

He gave her a smile,"Me."

He was holding Matt up in front of him, and the unconscious boy was powerless against him.

"Now, you and I need to have a little chat... somewhere else."

"Let Matt go first."

"Can't do that, darling - he's my leverage."

Evanna opened her mouth and then sighed,"I'm not doing anything until you heal him."

"What makes you think you're in a position to make demands? You teenagers these days, so entitled."

"Just do it and I'll do whatever you want."

The man considered it, and then rolled his light grey eyes,"Very well, but he's still tagging along."

The man forced Matt to drink his blood and pulled his wrist away after a moment, nodding to a sleek black car hidden in the shadows that she hadn't seen before. The vampire set Matt in the back and rushed over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her into the passenger seat before speeding to his side. When he got in, the immediately locked the doors.

"You're getting weaker." He noted,"I can fix that. It's hard, isn't it? Making the decision? I wouldn't know personally; I was far too young to make it myself."

Evanna narrowed her eyes at him. Far too young? He looked as though he was in his mid-thirties.

"Oh well, you won't have to make it anymore." He continued, glancing over at her and smirking,"I've got you covered."

* * *

"Where the hell are they?" Damon grunted in frustration, pacing back and forth in the Gilbert kitchen. He had gotten Evanna's text well over an hour before, and seeing as it was almost nine, he was getting anxious.

A little under three hours left.

"Maybe she just needs space." Meredith suggested,"Have you tried calling Matt?"

"Why would I have busboy's number - oh, there it is." Damon listened to his call go to voice mail and growled,"Nothing. Look, something's wrong."

"We don't know that." Stefan attempted.

"Evanna wouldn't _not _make contact with us, especially not now." Damon argued,"Stefan, the last time she didn't answer her phone, she was being stabbed."

Damon immediately regretted his words. He had forgotten that it had only been him and Stefan to see the wound and they had elected to keep it from everyone else.

"She was stabbed?" Elena whimpered, her brown eyes brimming with tears. Stefan squeezed her shoulder in comfort.

Damon closed his eyes and breathed through his nose before speaking,"She bled out before I got to her."

Caroline, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, inhaled,"This guy went after her specifically, didn't he?"

All eyes turned to her as it all began making sense. How had they missed what was right in front of them? Damon looked away.

"He spoke to her before he killed her." Damon revealed,"Evanna told me; he said she was the common denominator to his problems."

"So, it was a revenge thing?" Alaric asked.

Jeremy frowned,"Revenge thing on who?"

"That's the million dollar question..." Damon mused aloud, becoming silent.

"Well, if he went after her for revenge, she's still in danger." Elena pointed out tearfully,"What if he's going to do something else?"

"That is, unless he already has." Meredith spoke what they were all thinking.

The doorbell rang and added to the already tense atmosphere. Damon headed out into the hallway and answered the door.

Liz stood there, her fist raised to knock. Her patrol car was parked by the curb, and her expression was one of deep concern.

"Liz? Come in, what's wrong?"

Liz and Damon rejoined everyone in the kitchen and the Sheriff addressed the group standing before her.

"I have some bad news. Matt's truck was found totaled on the old road passed Wickery. This was found on the ground." She set Evanna's broken phone on the counter top before continuing,"I've got officers searching every inch of that road for signs, but... we can't find Matt or Evanna anywhere."

* * *

**Uh, oh...**

**So now Evanna's been taken, and so has Matt. **

**(Poor Matt, everything happens to him. He needs a hug.)**

**What will this mean in terms of Evanna's fate? Will she turn, or will he just kill her? And who is **_**he**_**?**

**(And why do I keep asking questions I know the answers to? Seems redundant.)**

**Anyway, let me know what you guys think of this chapter, and of what might happen. Next chapter will be up in a few days! :)**

**~ Megan.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Evanna was laying with her head lolled to one side when Matt began to stir. Her bones were stiffening, and her heartbeat was getting weaker, she could feel it.

_This must be what it feels like to die_, she thought.

Evanna managed to pick her head up when the boy stirred. They were in an empty barn, and she had seen a small house out front, but other than that, they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

She doubted they had left Mystic Falls, but despite the small town, the surrounding countryside was large and expansive.

"Mattie?"

He groaned, opening his eyes,"What the hell happened?"

"We crashed."

"There was a man." Matt sat up and she finally saw the full extent of his injuries. A gash on his forehead mirrored the one she had, with blood trailing down the side of his face too, but his nose had bled too and looked almost broken.

"Did I hit him?"

Evanna snorted,"I wish."

Matt regarded her oddly and Evanna sighed deeply,"It was him, Matt. The vampire that attacked me last night."

"Oh... well, what does he want?"

"To make sure my plan doesn't fail, of course." The barn door opened, and he appeared at the doorway. He stepped inside and looked at Evanna,"Don't even think of using your powers. You're not the only one with friends."

"What do you want?" She spat tiredly, slowly climbing to her feet. Matt was already up opposite her.

"I want you to turn. I thought that was obvious." He shrugged easily,"If you don't, your friend dies."

Evanna looked over to Matt, who shook his head, trying to tell her not to choose him over herself.

Evanna turned back to the vampire,"Fine."

"Evanna!"

Matt's panicked exclamation went ignored by the two of them as the vampire rubbed his hands together and grinned gleefully.

"Excellent, a decision made with two and a half hours to spare." He clapped,"Now, as you know, you need to drink blood to complete the transition. Leverage isn't the only reason your buddy is here..."

The vampire sped over to Matt and pushed the boy towards Evanna roughly before exiting the barn, locking the door behind him.

"Bon appetit!"

* * *

Sheila was frantically looking through her grimoires when Damon and Stefan showed up at her door. She let them in, pushing her wild curls from her face.

She was running out of time!

"Sheila..." Damon began.

"I haven't found anything yet, but I will." Sheila began to ramble and Damon stepped forward, setting a hand on her arm. Stefan half expected Sheila to set him on fire or something. In fact, he was surprised when Damon was even able to enter her house.

Instead, the woman stopped, looking up.

"What?"

"There is no spell to fix this, Sheila."

"But Evanna -"

"She knows." Damon nodded,"She's known since she woke up this morning that there was no third option. She doesn't need you to fix her, Sheila, but she does need you to help her right now."

"Why? What happened?"

"Ava and Matt were ambushed and taken while they drove home a little while ago." Stefan explained,"We need you to do another locator spell."

Sheila nodded once,"I'll get my supplies."

As Sheila disappeared upstairs, Stefan grabbed Damon's arm and turned him to face him,"What did Evanna say to you? About there not being a third option?"

Damon sighed,"She said it was unrealistic. We talked about her options. I made sure she knew that it was her decision to make, but if she chose to complete the transition, she wouldn't be alone."

Stefan nodded slightly,"What do you think she'll choose?"

"Evanna's full of surprises."

"What do you want her to choose?"

Damon locked eyes with his baby brother,"The same thing you do, brother. So let's try and get her back in time before her mind is made up for her."

* * *

"You need to feed!"

Evanna shook her head, laying slumped against the barn wall. Her breathing had become labored, and her complexion was paler than ever. Her wristwatch told her that she had an hour and forty-five minutes to feed before she died, but this wasn't the way she was willing to turn.

"No, not this way. Not on you. I could kill you."

"And he could kill both of us!" Matt exclaimed,"You don't have to take all of it, just -"

"No, Matt!" She shouted finally,"You don't get it! I have to drain somebody in order to turn! And if I even get one drop of your blood, that's it, light's out, and I am _not_ willing to risk it."

"So what're you going to do?"

"He said it himself." Evanna coughed,"His plan is to have me turn. If I refuse to feed on you, he'll get me blood from somewhere else."

"How can you be so sure?"

"'Cause he's desperate for me to turn, Mattie. Why else would he kidnap me in the last few hours of my transition? He doesn't want me to choose death."

Matt sighed, walking over and sitting down beside her,"How did our lives become this?"

"Not sure." Evanna answered, laying her head on his shoulder. Matt smiled softly, and she frowned,"What?"

"Just remembering when we were seven. You and I were at the park, and I decided to climb that huge tree in the center of the playground. You yelled at me for climbing too high and I called you a scaredy cat, so, to prove you weren't, you climbed higher than me."

"And got stuck." Evanna finished, laughing with him,"So you climbed up and stayed with me until I felt comfortable enough to climb down."

"I was terrified up there too. I thought it was the scariest day of my life."

"Mine too, but I had my big brother with me." Evanna smiled,"We couldn't have possibly imagined that, over ten years later, we would be where we are right now. I miss being a kid."

"I do too." Matt nodded,"I wish I could go back, and just... not grow up."

"That's the dream." Evanna agreed.

Matt considered something and turned to look at her then,"If you could - go back, I mean - would you change anything? Would you do anything differently?"

Evanna pursed her lips, feeling a chill settle over her even though the barn was stifling,"A lot of things have happened; bad things, good things, but honestly? No. What about you?"

"I think I would change some things - like Vicky, but nothing drastic. I wouldn't leave Mystic Falls with my mom for instance."

Evanna nodded and glanced at her watch again; an hour and fifteen minutes left. She began to cough again, her throat raspy and sore as Matt rubbed her back in comfort. She took a deep breath and flopped back against him.

The two friends sat in silence until, twenty minutes later, the barn door flew open so fast, it almost came off the hinges.

* * *

Damon glanced anxiously at the clock; fifty-five minutes to go before that was it. Sheila was trying her locater spell again, and everyone was gathered in the Gilbert kitchen.

Sheila braced herself against the counter, and closed her green eyes chanting under her breath. She stopped, took a needle from her pocket and sliced her finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the map. Elena then held out her own finger, which Sheila pricked and then a drop of Elena's blood fell onto the map, mixing with Sheila's.

Sheila had summarized that by blending two bloodlines responsible for creating Evanna, the Bennett and the Gilbert, and some strong magic on Sheila's part, the locator spell might actually be able to break through whatever spell had been placed on Evanna the night before. They could find her faster.

Everyone watched as the mixed drop of blood separated back into two, one moving to pinpoint their location, and the other hovering over the map of Mystic Falls. The small red droplet seemed to spasm in the air, like it was desperately trying to break through a barrier, and by the time it did, Sheila was pale and her knuckles had turned white. It settled, and Elena spoke up.

"That's Andrew Bishop's farm. It's about forty-five minutes from here."

"If you're human and driving." Damon pointed to the people he named as he went along,"Stefan and Vampire Barbie, let's go. Evanna doesn't have all day."

"You can't go out there with no plan of attack." Rick said, making Damon stop and sigh impatiently.

"I have a plan. Caroline's gonna get Matt out of there, and Stefan's gonna get Evanna out of there -"

Meredith narrowed her eyes,"And yourself?"

"I'm gonna tie up the son of a bitch who is doing this to Evanna, and kill him. But first, I'm gonna make it hurt like hell..."

* * *

Matt was the one who stood up when he walked in again. The blonde boy helped Evanna up, though her knees felt like jelly, and she was seeing spots.

"Alright, fine. Even though I should kill you both right now for not following my orders, I can't afford that, so you..." He walked over and pulled Evanna with him,"... are going to come with me."

Evanna sent a warning look Matt's way, telling him to stay where he was before the barn door closed, separating them. As he dragged Evanna towards the little house, she saw the flock of vampires protecting the parameters. There must have been four that she could see, but she wasn't sure if there were more.

If he hadn't have been dragging her, she would have tripped by now.

"Since you're so goddamn stubborn and would rather die before you hurt your friend, I have to - once again - take matters into my own hands."

He pushed Evanna into the small house, where the scent of blood immediately assaulted her senses. A man, in his late twenties, lay on the couch, his neck bleeding and inviting. Evanna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to clear her foggy mind, but only getting a lungful of the enticing scent.

"This, Evanna, is Rory. Ah, he's been with me for years; loyal little thing. Then again, I've compelled him to act as such. It must be, maybe, eight years I have been compelling him now. His brain's mush. He's all alone. There's nobody to miss him, nobody to mourn the loss of his pathetic little life. You'll be doing him a favor."

He walked over to Rory's unconscious body and hauled him up, grasping Rory's head in his hands. He gave her a smirk.

"I'll even do the hard part for you."

In a second, Rory's head twisted to one side sharply, and the noise was sickening. Evanna's yelp of horror got stuck in her throat, and she choked slightly.

The vampire threw the body towards her, and Evanna caught Rory, looking down at the open wound in his neck. There was something travelling through her.

Desperate hunger.

The vampire grinned at her before exiting the house.

"It's time, Evanna. Drink up."

* * *

Damon, Caroline and Stefan arrived at the farm, and kept in the shadows while they assessed the scene before them.

"We'll distract the vampires," Stefan said, nodding to his brother,"Caroline, you focus on finding Matt."

"What about Evanna?"

"We'll handle that." Damon said, his blue eyes focused in on the four vampires patrolling the front of the house.

"Wait here." Stefan ordered her,"And only move when those guys are fighting Damon and I. Let's be quiet about this, alright? If this guy knows we're here, he could take Evanna somewhere else."

"If you wanna be quiet about it, brother, then stop talking and get moving."

Stefan rolled his eyes but followed his brother out. The two Salvatores sped up behind two vampires, and in unison, plunged their hands through their chests and ripped their hearts out.

Two down, two to go...

The other two proved more of a challenge. Stefan grappled with his opponent on the ground while Damon fought back with everything he had. Damon got slammed into the side of a wood-chipper but then got an idea. Just a few feet away from him lay a log, and in that log, was a hatchet imbedded. Damon kicked the vampire off of him, and grabbed the hatchet, swinging it through the air and beheading his enemy.

He made a move to help his brother, but something jumped him from behind.

Another, much larger, vampire.

_Great..._

* * *

Back with Caroline, she waited just five seconds to move and did so quickly. She was trying to pick up Matt's scent, and then caught the familiar smell of her ex-boyfriend's aftershave.

Caroline rushed towards the barn, throwing open the door and beaming with relief.

"Matt! Oh, my God, are you okay?"

"It's fine." He waved her off,"It's dry blood. How did you find me?"

"Sheila did a locator spell. Damon and Stefan are buying time, so I have to get you out of here. Any idea where Evanna is?"

Matt shook his head,"He took her somewhere."

"Somewhere close by?"

"I think so. Caroline, listen, he took her because she refused to feed on me."

Caroline paused,"What?"

"He gave her an ultimatum; complete the transition, or let me die. Evanna..."

"Chose to turn." Caroline finished, gasping softly.

Matt nodded,"Yeah, but then he told her she had to feed on me, and she refused."

"And then what?"

"Then he took her."

Caroline pulled out her phone and checked the time; forty minutes left. The blonde girl wanted to scream.

"Which means she's probably already..." Caroline trailed off, unable to finish her own sentence. Matt did the honors himself.

"A vampire."

* * *

Out front, Damon was fighting a losing battle. Damon was strong, but this guy looked like he had been a pro MMA fighter when he was alive.

Just a couple of meters away, Stefan was still struggling with the female vampire. Had the circumstances been better, Damon would have poked fun at his brother for losing against a girl, but he himself was in no position to get cocky.

Finally, Stefan gained the upper hand and pulled the vervain dart Alaric had given him from his pocket, and plunged it into her neck. The redhead was immediately knocked unconscious.

Stefan, like his brother had done earlier, moved to help Damon, but someone else got there before him.

It all happened so fast that it barely registered in Damon's mind. All that he heard were the words 'Evanna' and 'vampire'. Evanna tackled the vampire on top of Damon, knocking him onto the ground. Clearly, the element of surprise was the man's downfall, as Evanna was only on top of him, fangs bared and black eyes shining, for a second before a sharp, broken piece of wood that looked as though it was from the leg of a chair, came flying through the air and lodged deep in the vampire's chest. He shriveled up and died in a matter of seconds.

Evanna climbed off of him easily, her face returning to normal as she slowly looked at the shocked faces before her. It was silent, and Evanna desperately wished someone would talk.

Caroline and Matt were standing before her, and the two Salvatore brothers were to her sides.

Truthfully, she didn't know how she had gotten out there with them either.

Evanna had been feeding, when suddenly, the overwhelming sense of her friends being in danger made her throw a chair against a wall, pick up her makeshift stake and dart out through the door.

Realizing no one else was going to be the first to say something, probably because they didn't know what to say, she took it upon herself.

"Is everyone okay?"

They all nodded and she walked over to Damon, extending her hand to help him up. He took it and pulled himself up, looking down at her sadly, his eyes a mix of relief and guilt. She looked away from him as Stefan cleared his throat.

"Uh, is our bad guy still here?"

Evanna shook her head, dropping the stake she held in her hand,"He took off."

Caroline helped Matt step forward, and the blonde vampire exhaled heavily,"Well, there's nothing we can do now. I say we head home."

"It's as good a plan as any." Evanna nodded, and moved to help Caroline help Matt to the car. Matt grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze and she managed a smile as Caroline led the way to the car that they had parked a little way down the road.

Stefan went to follow and that's when Damon seemed to snap out of his thoughts, and in a second, he was back to his usual carefree mood,"Stefan, grab the redhead. If we want to find out about him, she's going to be our best guess."

Stefan nodded, slinging the unconscious vampire's body over his shoulder.

"I'll run to the house, meet you guys there." Stefan said, shortly before disappearing completely, along with the vampire.

Before they left, Evanna took one last look at the barn and heaved a sigh. She couldn't help but feel as though she was leaving a huge chunk of herself at that farm, and truly, she was. She was leaving her witch life behind.

Evanna felt a hand touch her arm gently and glanced over her shoulder, finding Damon. She mustered a small smile and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, guiding her home.

* * *

**Well, there we go. Evanna Gilbert is now a vampire, ladies and gentlemen.**

**So, what did you guys think of 'the big chapter'? Was it what you expected and more importantly, did you enjoy it? **

**Also, just so you know, this is only one of the 'big' chapters. There are plenty more ;)**

**~ Megan.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It was passed midnight when they returned home that night. Caroline had taken Matt home and then she had come to the Boarding House where Evanna was planning to stay the night.

She wasn't ready for the sympathetic looks yet. But Caroline had been there when they found her, so she was allowed stay. Evanna wanted one of her girls around anyway.

Evanna had sent Matt home, saying that after what he had gone through, he needed rest. She hadn't been the only victim. As soon as Caroline came back, the two girls took up residence in one of the spare rooms, and once Evanna was away, Stefan and Damon took to setting the redhead up in the basement.

Stefan held the door open as his older brother dragged the vampire into the cellar by the legs, dropping her unceremoniously on the cold, hard ground. Damon stepped out, aiding his brother in pushing the door closed and locking it.

Stefan paused, his hands still against the door,"You know we couldn't have done anything, right?" He asked, his eyes meeting Damon's over his own shoulder,"This dick had every second planned out."

Damon nodded slightly,"I know. Doesn't make it easier. It should have been her choice."

"You think she'll be okay?"

Damon shrugged casually,"She's putting on a brave face, but the night is young."

Stefan pursed his lips,"We should probably talk about what we're going to do; how she's gonna feed, how to control herself -"

"That can wait until morning."

Damon moved to leave, but Stefan spoke again.

"I'm sorry that it turned out this way. If it were Elena..."

"What are you saying?"

"You care about her, everyone knows that. But I can see that there is more behind it than either of you let on. I'm not going to lie, I was wary at first, but... you're my brother. Despite everything, I only want you to be happy." Stefan spoke sincerely,"She needs you, Damon."

"And I'm going to be there."

Stefan nodded, and with a small smile, clapped his brother on the shoulder before walking out.

"You always were for me."

* * *

After his talk with Stefan, Damon headed upstairs and into his bedroom. He stopped in the doorway when he saw her.

Standing in front of his bed, Evanna was flipping through a photo album, a small smile on her face. Her hair fell loosely down her shoulders, one side tucked behind her ear.

Damon leaned against the door frame, folding his arms as he watched her. Their phone call sprung back to his mind, and he frowned, wondering whether or not to bring it up. He decided not to.

He opened his mouth to announce his presence, but as she turned to the next page, she finally acknowledged him.

"Caroline's sleeping."

"And you're not because...?"

"Can't." She shrugged,"Must be residual adrenaline or something. I'm just not sleepy."

Damon didn't believe her one bit, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he cleared his throat,"Are you okay?"

Evanna sucked her lips in,"Is 'I don't know' an acceptable answer?"

"Given the circumstances, I would say so."

"Everything's... jumbled, in my brain, and I can't think straight. Maybe that's a good thing."

"I'm sorry it happened like this. I'm sorry your choice was taken away."

Evanna shrugged,"Not your fault. Besides, I'm pretty sure I would have chosen to turn." She admitted,"When I was in the graveyard, I realized how many people this town has lost, how many people my family has lost, and I didn't want to add to that. Plus, if I didn't choose to turn, he was going to kill Matt, and I could never let that happen."

"So, you're okay with ... _this_?"

"Well, I'm sure it could have happened _better_, but... I'll live." Evanna grimaced,"Or, not. Ah, you know what I mean."

Damon chuckled as he came over, looking down at the picture she was looking at. It was of his mother. Damon ignored the stabbing feeling in his heart as he looked at his mother's beaming face as the woman stared down at her two young sons. God, he missed his mother.

"1854." Damon spoke quietly,"I was fifteen. Stefan was eight. She died about a year or two after this was taken."

"She's beautiful." Evanna smiled,"You have her eyes."

"My father hated that about me." Damon chuckled bitterly.

Evanna bit her lip,"How... how did she die? Oh, God, I'm sorry. You don't have to -"

"No, it's okay. She got sick. It was fast. One day it was a cough and the next, we were saying goodbye."

Evanna reached out and squeezed his hand. Her eyes caught sight of something and she gasped softly, reaching up and clutching her necklace. She and Caroline had taken the vervain out so she could still wear it. She had bonded with it, and would have hated to part with it.

"It was my mom's." Damon confirmed quietly,"I gave it to her for her birthday. Got it made special. She gave it back to me on her deathbed, told me to give it to someone special."

Evanna turned her head sideways and locked eyes with him, the corner of her lips turning up just a little bit.

"Hey." Stefan knocked on the door,"I'm heading to bed. Just thought I'd say goodnight."

"Night, little brother." Damon nodded. Evanna gave him a smile,"Night, Stef."

Stefan gave them a nod and walked away. Damon stepped back from Evanna,"You should get some sleep too."

"Right..." Evanna nodded, heading for the door,"I think the adrenaline is wearing off."

"It wore off about an hour ago." Damon pointed out,"You've been fighting sleep. Why?"

Evanna sighed,"It's just... the last time I was asleep, I had some pretty messed up nightmares. Usually, that wouldn't bother me, but... I don't know, they're still kinda messing with me."

Damon's nod was curt as he walked over to his dresser, rooting through it.

Evanna furrowed her brows in confusion,"What are you doing?"

"You're not sleeping in my bed with barn clothes." Damon scoffed, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Evanna rolled her eyes, taking them and setting them on the bed.

She was tempted to decline and head back into Caroline, but she decided to stay. The night was full of surprises, and she chose to let this be one of them. It wasn't the first time they shared a bed.

Damon tried to convince himself he could be in the same bed as her as her friend. He remembered the nightmares, and seeing as he had been able to calm her down before, he could do this in order to help her. He was her friend. Friends help friends - hadn't she said something along those lines that one time? Right before their first kiss...

He was so lost in his memory, he forgot to turn around. Evanna had her top rolled up to underneath her bra, and he gulped when he caught a glimpse of the light blue lace. Evanna arched an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?"

Damon let himself smirk,"No. Please, continue."

"Turn around," Evanna laughed,"And be glad I'm not kicking you out of your own room."

Damon raised his hands in surrender and did as told. Evanna kept an eye on him for any cheeky glances, but managed to change into his clothes without his sneaky eyes taking a peak.

Due to him being much taller than her, and more muscled, his clothes hung loose on her body. It was obvious, but not comically so.

She let Damon know he could turn around and threw her clothes into his hamper, using an elastic to tie her brown curls up into a high ponytail.

Then she approached the bed. _Not the first time you've shared a bed with him, Evanna. It's not a big deal. It's just like those times you've shared a bed with Matt - though, okay, you never cuddled with Matt._

Evanna tried to stop herself from groaning, but rolled her eyes at herself anyway. Damon stripped off his shirt, and Evanna turned on her side, pressing her lips together. She felt the bed dip beside her and subconsciously moved closer to him.

His arm slid around her waist, and they were both out cold in a matter of seconds.

* * *

**I apologize for lack of chapter. I've had Writer's Block with all of my fics for a while and I'm just now coming out of it.**

**Promise, next one will be longer.**

**In the meantime, I hope you enjoy some Damon/Evanna cuteness. Even if they're a little awkward. Can't wait to hear your thoughts! :)**

**~ Megan.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Hey, is it just me, or is Evanna in Damon's bed?" Caroline asked Stefan as she stepped into the kitchen the next morning.

Stefan offered her a mug of blood, which she took, and then shook his head.

"It's not just you."

"Huh... maybe her being a vampire will be good for them." Caroline mumbled under her breath, the cup raised to her lips. She hadn't meant for Stefan to catch her comment, but he had, and smirked in amusement at the sheepish blonde.

"You too, huh?"

Caroline shrugged,"I'm not Damon's biggest fan, _everyone _knows that, but... he's different when he's with her. I don't know how to describe it, but..."

"He's like how he was when we were human." Stefan filled in, a soft smile on his usually brooding face.

Caroline's own smile was warm,"It's weird, but - dare I say it - they're cute together."

"Better hope neither of them heard you say that." Stefan snorted.

Caroline laughed too, and then turned serious,"Hey, is that vampire awake yet?"

"Not yet." Stefan sighed,"But she will be soon. I was actually kinda hoping we could talk to her _without _Evanna being here. We still don't exactly know what's going on here, and if it's bad, then I don't want to overload her."

Caroline pursed her lips in consideration,"Well, then, I'll take her home. I can distract her while you and Damon find out what you can."

Stefan nodded, and then heard movement coming from upstairs, like the sound of someone turning in bed. He shared a look with Caroline, who had heard it too, and both vampires fell silent.

* * *

Upstairs, Damon was laying with his eyes closed, still on his side. He had woken up to the faint sounds of his brother's and Caroline's voices, but had been too preoccupied with the girl sleeping beside him to actually listen to the two downstairs.

Evanna was still tucked safely in his embrace, but she moved her head and let out a soft mewl, reminding Damon of a sleepy kitten. Evanna moved her body around to face his and slowly peeked out through her droopy eyelids, at the same time he opened his eyes.

"Morning, kitten." He quipped.

"Morning." She mumbled against his chest, tiredly rubbing at her eyes.

"No nightmares?"

Evanna smiled,"No nightmares. The only nightmare right now is the prospect of getting up."

"So don't. Stay here all day. I don't mind." He winked at her, wriggling her eyebrows. Evanna laughed, nudging him before moving into a seated position.

"Tempting." She drawled sarcastically,"But I should get home. See everyone."

Damon, who had let his hand drop from her waist to drape across her lap, moved his hand up to her side and gave her a squeeze, rocking her gently,"They'll just be glad to have you back."

Evanna fiddled with the blanket,"I guess." Then, she frowned,"Uh, here's a valid question; how am I gonna get out of here? Sunlight? It's kinda a problem now..."

Damon reached up and slipped his own ring from his finger, and took her small hand in his larger one, slipping the protective jewelery onto her index finger. Her hand being considerably smaller than his, it was loose, but not dangerously so.

"I'll call Sheila." He offered, patting the back of her hand,"Tell her to make you one - though she probably already has, and you can return that to me as soon as you get your own."

"But what about you? You get restless when you're stuck in the house."

"I'll only be stuck for a few hours, maybe less." Damon shrugged,"Just don't lose it."

"I won't." She promised, and pushed the covers off herself. She stood up and grimaced when she remembered the state of her own clothes,"Oh, another problem; my other clothes are bloody and torn - not exactly suitable for a reunion."

"Taken care of!" Caroline exclaimed happily, barging in through the previously closed door,"I took the liberty of running over to yours and grabbing you some things."

"Thanks, but when did you manage that?"

"Like, a couple of seconds ago. Advantages of vampire speed, baby." Caroline chirped. Evanna smiled, shook her head and took the bundle, heading into the bathroom to change. Caroline glanced over at Damon and scrunched up her face,"Please tell me you have clothes on underneath that blanket."

"No, I'm wearing a wedding dress." Damon shot back, earning an eye roll. The blonde turned to say something, and then decided against it. Damon raised his eyebrows, and then furrowed them. Caroline began rooting through his desk drawer and located a notepad and a pen, scribbling something down hurriedly. Damon cocked his head curiously and barely caught it when Caroline used it as a flying projectile, throwing it like she was a pitcher for a baseball team, before Evanna came back in.

Taking the hint that Evanna wasn't to know about whatever she had written, Damon slipped it under the blanket.

Evanna emerged, running a brush through her long hair. Caroline had chosen a simple outfit; a pair of jeans, a red jumper and the black boots she had been wearing the night before. Caroline told her friend she would meet her downstairs and Evanna nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed and bending down to lace up her boots.

Damon climbed out of the bed finally, and slipped on a black t-shirt, stopping in front of her and helping her to stand.

"You can do this."

Evanna, in the midst of a deep inhale, just nodded. Damon slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest,"C'mere."

Evanna settled in his arms, laying her head against his shoulder. When she pulled back, she smiled and stepped away from him.

"I'll get your ring back as soon as I can."

Damon nodded,"Good luck."

Evanna disappeared then, and Damon waited a few seconds before diving back towards his bed and retrieving Caroline's note.

_I'm going to distract E, while S and you get info from Red downstairs_.

Suddenly remembering the redhead they had locked in the cellar, Damon changed out of his drawstring sweatpants and into his black jeans before heading downstairs. Stefan met him at the end of the staircase, and wordlessly, the two brothers descended the steps into the cellar.

* * *

"So..." Caroline said slowly,"You and Damon seemed snuggly."

Evanna gave her a side glance as they headed towards the Gilbert house,"Don't even."

"Alright, alright, but just know; you smell like him. Though, then again, you do most of the time anyway."

"Seriously?"

The blonde nodded,"You'll notice it about people. Say Elena was with Meredith - when she comes home, she'll smell like Meredith, but then if she goes and talks to Jeremy, she'll smell like Jeremy."

"And it's like that all the time?"

"Pretty much. How are your senses?"

"Everything's... vivid. I can see every individual leaf on that tree." Evanna explained, pointing to the oak as they stopped at a red light,"Can I turn that down? It's annoying in an odd sort of way."

"You can, you just have to focus on not focusing."

"Yeah, 'cause _that _sounds easy." Evanna quipped.

As they drew nearer and nearer to her house, Evanna puffed out her cheeks and exhaled, drumming her fingers against the dash.

"Oh, here come the nerves."

Caroline's expression was sympathetic,"Everything is heightened," She reminded Evanna,"Just remember, you're probably making it worse in your head than it actually is."

Evanna nodded, leaning her head back,"Right..."

"Everyone is just glad you're home."

Evanna took another deep breath, and then pouted when her house came into view. Caroline pulled up beside the curb, behind Elena's car, and put the car in park. She reached over and squeezed Evanna's shoulder. Evanna sucked in her lips and sighed, unbuckling herself.

The two girls approached the front door and paused on the porch. Right as they did, the foor flew open and Elena flew out, pulling Evanna into a tight hug.

Evanna laughed breathlessly,"Hey, 'Lena."

Elena pulled back and brushed Evanna's hair back in a motherly fashion,"I'm so glad you're home, and okay, and you are okay, right?"

Evanna nodded,"I'm okay."

Just as Elena moved back, another taller, and way more muscular, body flew at her, wrapping her in a bear hug.

"Jer!" Evanna exclaimed happily,"I've missed you, too."

Elena's eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, and she sniffled, glancing at the threshold anxiously. She knew Evanna would have to be invited into her own home, and was searching for a way to word the invitation without seeming crass.

"Evanna, why don't we all go inside out of the cold?"

Evanna nodded, still keeping an arm wrapped around Jeremy as the four of them stepped inside. Elena let out the breath she had been holding after Evanna walked through the door without trouble, and closed the door.

Alaric walked out to join them, and all reservations Evanna had had the day before flew out the window as he stepped forward to hug her. Evanna clung to him, and smiled, feeling the emotions well up from knowing that she hadn't lost him too. He was Rick again, and for the moment, she didn't care how or why. She was just glad he was there.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Five by five." She shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" Elena asked,"I'm making your favorite; chocolate chip pancakes."

"Elena, you don't have to -"

"No, I want to. Caroline, are you staying?"

Caroline nodded.

"Meredith called to say she's on her way over." Alaric added as Elena disappeared into the kitchen. Evanna shuffled awkwardly,"Uh, if you guys don't mind, I think I'll go take a shower. I still have the feeling of barn on me."

The others nodded and backed off, giving her space. Evanna tossed a smile over her shoulder as she ascended the stairs, escaping into her bedroom.

Closing the door, she leaned back against it, letting her head loll back, and sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So, I have decided that Fridays are my update days. It makes sense, especially with school coming up, so I'll do my best to update every Friday. I apologize for the lack of length, but I'm babysitting, and well... yeah...  
**

* * *

Evanna had just polished off her first blood bag - an experience that, while not so much unpleasant, was still foreign to her - when Sheila arrived.

Evanna stepped out of her bedroom, tying her recently dried hair up into a ponytail and paused, spotting her grandmother perched on the end of her bed. Clad in black sweatpants and a dark blue tank top, Evanna nervously stood in the doorway of the bathroom, shuffling awkwardly and reaching up to scratch the back of her neck.

Sheila wasn't looking at her, but Evanna knew she had sensed her, and tried her best to smile.

"Hey, Grams."

Sheila's feline-like green eyes were soft,"Hi, baby. I would ask how you are, but I know you hate it when people do that."

Evanna watched the woman trace her fingertip delicately over a photo frame she had clearly taken from Evanna's desk, and stood by as Sheila smiled down at the picture of the two of them, taken years ago when Evanna was just ten years of age.

"Do what?" Evanna tilted her head in a questioning manner.

"Asked someone if they were okay when they clearly weren't." Sheila clarified easily,"You used to say it was redundant, and only reminded the person that they were not, in fact, okay. So, I'm not going to ask."

Evanna let out a relieved breath,"Thanks, Grams. It's ... it's like everyone is programmed to coddle me right now, and I'm just - I'm not in the mood. Did Damon call about the...?"

"The ring, yes." Sheila stood up, producing a small black jewellery box from her pocket and handing it over,"I have it right here."

The simple silver band was beautiful, the three small diamonds shimmering. The diamond in the center was a pale blue, a lovely contrast to the diamonds at either side of it.

"Where... where have I seen this before?" Evanna asked, slipping the ring on.

"It was your great-grandmother's engagement ring. Your grandfather kept it with him his entire life, and after he passed, I gave it to your mother. When she found out you needed a daylight ring, she sent over this."

Evanna nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips. She then thought back to her family,"How are they taking the news? Mom, dad...?"

"They're just glad you're okay. They're coming down to visit soon."

"Which means I should probably return Damon's ring before they bombard me with TLC..." Evanna decided, moving to grab a jacket and her shoes.

"I can do it!" Caroline appeared suddenly with her offering, popping her head around the door. Evanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You sure...?"

The blonde nodded exuberantly,"Oh, absolutely. I have to pick something up from home anyway for my mom, and you should really spend some time at home."

Evanna pursed her lips in consideration before shrugging, setting Damon's ring down in the palm of her best friend's hand,"All right. Just don't lose it."

"I won't. I promise."

* * *

Stefan was the one to answer the door to Caroline when she arrived. She stepped into the foyer and held Damon's ring out, dropping it into Stefan's awaiting hand.

"I just saved you from getting caught. Thank God I was eavesdropping, otherwise Evanna would be over here kicking both your asses for not telling her you brought a vampire home."

Stefan chuckled,"Thanks, Caroline. And you know we don't _want _to keep it from her, but we don't want to overwhelm her either."

"I know." Caroline pouted,"I just suck at keeping secrets, especially from the girls. Have you found anything out?"

Stefan sighed, shaking his head,"She woke up a little while after you left, but so far, she hasn't said a word."

Caroline pursed her lips,"Damn. I just want to find this guy and stake his ass."

Stefan reached over and squeezed her shoulder softly,"Believe me, we all do."

"Well, I should get going. Evanna'll get suspicious if I'm not back soon. Text me if you learn anything, got it? You too, Damon - I know you can hear me."

* * *

"What did vampire barbie want?" Damon asked once Stefan returned to the cellar. Stefan handed him his ring.

"To return this."

Damon nodded, plucking his ring from his brother's grasp and sliding it on, wriggling his fingers to get himself re-used to the sensation, before looking back at Red (as he had nicknamed her).

They didn't know her name, nor had they asked, and frankly, they didn't care either.

Damon had tied her to the chair so tight that she had no chance of getting out, and she was clearly unimpressed by that

"When I get out of here -"

"You'll use my insides to make balloon animals, I know." Damon rolled his eyes,"But see, you _won't _get out of there, and while you're wasting time, why don't you do something useful and tell us what we want to know." Damon knelt down in front of her,"And then, just maybe, we'll let you go."

"No, you won't."

Damon shrugged,"You're right, we won't. Humor us. Why did he target Evanna specifically?"

Red remained silent, so Damon blew out an impatient breath, glancing back at Stefan who nodded. Damon stood up and picked up the poker laying in the corner. He tossed it between his hands, testing the weight before shoving the poker through the skin of her shoulder. After her tortured scream died out to strangled gasps, and she was left panting, she answered.

"To get revenge!" Her eyes went to Damon,"Your girl was Deacon's way to ensure that both parties got hurt."

"And these 'parties'... who are the VIPs on this Deacon guy's guest list, huh?"

"I don't know."

A twist of the poker. Another scream of pain.

"I'm not lying! He didn't tell any of us!"

"So, what was in it for you?" Stefan folded his arms.

"Nothing. I had no choice but to work for him."

"Why?" Damon asked, pulling the poker out again.

"Magic. If we stepped out of line, we suffered the consequences of dark magic. He controlled us with pain."

"He tortured you." Stefan realized, suddenly feeling a microscopic twinge of sympathy for the young vampire before him, and an equally as small pang of guilt for doing the same.

"Endlessly. He has brainwashed all of the vampires he has under his wing."

"And you?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"I was new. He hadn't gotten that far with me yet."

"And this magic?" Damon pursed his lips,"Where was it coming from? Does he have a witch under his control too?"

Red seemed confused, and opened her mouth to respond. Just as her mouth fell open, a small flame licked across her injured shoulder.

Both brothers jumped back as the flame grew, and Red began to scream.

In a matter of seconds, she was completely consumed by the orange flames, until there was nothing left but the ropes they had used to incapacitate her.

Damon and Stefan, who had both pulled each other to a safe distance, slowly turned to stare at each other, blinking slowly.

Damon suddenly whined, his shoulders slumping as his blue eyes rolled towards the ceiling.

"Well, that was a bust."


	8. Chapter 8

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It had been a good few hours since Evanna had returned home, and finally, the buzz about her return was beginning to dim. Soon enough, it was just Elena, Jeremy, Alaric and herself in the house, and the sun was quickly disappearing outside, sending a soft golden glow flooding through the open windows in the kitchen.

She sat alone at the breakfast counter, swinging her legs back and forth between the high stools. She hadn't heard from either of the Salvatore brothers all day, but put it down to them giving her the space she so desperately craved. Her friends and family were amazing, if not a little stifling, and she relished in the peace of the Gilbert house.

"Hey..." A hesitant voice spoke from the doorway. Evanna's brown eyes rose and met with Alaric's. She gave him a small smile.

"Hey."

"Mind if I sit?"

"Go ahead." She shrugged,"I actually wanted to talk to you."

Alaric nodded slowly and took a seat across from her. Evanna tapped her fingertips along the cool surface of the counter top, considering her words before turning her body to face his and opening her mouth.

"I've been thinking about you, and your situation, and I think I might have an answer."

Alaric's eyebrows rose into his hairline, before he waved his hands frantically,"Please, go on, 'cause I've got nothing."

"That night of the dance, in the woods, when you were still... dead," Evanna winced softly, a slight grimace on her face,"Esther said something that struck me as odd at the time, but I pushed it aside, because well... bigger issues and all. She said; '_When the time is right, the hunter will die'_. She made you that hunter - she made you insane, and she tied your life to mine."

"Yeah...?"

"But what if she didn't? Not completely?"

Alaric frowned,"I'm confused."

Evanna's shoulders slumped and she pouted for a minute, before sucking in her lips, sighing and explaining slowly,"Okay, what if Esther didn't tie _your _life to mine? When you were that immortal vampire hunter, you weren't _you_. Nothing about him was you. What if she made the hunter _from _you, instead of making him you?"

"Still lost."

"Oh my gosh!" Evanna exclaimed, pushing her hair back,"Basically, she made a split personality who was insane and tied _his _life to mine. So when I died - a lot sooner than she had expected - the _hunter _died, but there is no cure for vampirism, so you stayed a vampire, you just returned to regular, history-teacher-slash-father-figure Rick and not if-you-have-fangs-I-hate you-and-hope-you-get-a-_really_-bad-sunburn Rick."

Alaric sat back, his lips parted slightly as he worked through Evanna's theory in his mind, before he nodded once and tossed her an impressed glance,"That... that actually makes sense. You know, once you stop speaking in tongues."

Evanna pulled a face and slugged his shoulder, making him chuckle. She rolled her eyes and giggled,"I know it makes sense. I'm kind of a genius. And I'm kind of hungry." She admitted with an uncomfortable grimace.

"Caroline left a cooler of blood bags in your room for you."

Evanna frowned,"When did she manage that?"

"When Meredith and Elena were fussing over you."

"Ah." Evanna nodded,"Well, if you'll excuse me..."

"Go ahead. I'm gonna call Damon, tell him your theory."

"Make sure he gives me a gold star!" Evanna called back, heading upstairs.

* * *

The blue cooler sat on her window seat and Evanna side, stopping in front of it and hauling it up.

She had fed a couple hours before, but a combination of confusing hunger and boredom had her back for more, even if the dark red liquid wasn't something she found palatable just yet.

Entering her bathroom, she pulled the cooler up onto the counter and opened it up. Bags of blood stared back at her.

"Oh, yeah, this is _completely _normal..." She muttered under her breath before picking one up and tearing the cap off of it.

Evanna snorted. Who was she kidding? There was no such thing as normal for her.

Being a vampire was scary for her, and she imagined it would be for some time, but she had never been _truly _human either. From the time she was born, she had had magic coursing through her, laying dormant as they waited for their day to come. That magic had awoken in August of 2010, a little over a year ago. Evanna could hardly believe it had been such a little amount of time ago in the grand scheme of things. Fourteen months ago felt like fourteen _years _ago to her, so much had happened. Yes, the sudden switch from vampire to witch was scary.

Not being a witch for the first time in a long time was probably the hardest part so far. Evanna felt like she had been just finally learning who she was supposed to be, only to have it taken away from her a short period of time later. She had been 'The Witch'; the one everyone turned to for help, the one everyone relied on for protection. That had been her identity and now... she did not know who she was exactly.

_Somebody who drinks out of blood bags._

Evanna's eyes caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror and she slowly put the half empty blood bag down. Wiping the blood from her lips, she inspected herself for any differences.

Once the black eyes and the fangs disappeared, she realized she hadn't changed at all physically. Her eyes were still the light brown colour they had always been, and her chocolate curls were still long and loose, and her small features were as unchanging as ever.

Glancing down at the blood bag, she took a hold of it and raised it to her lips and gulped down the rest in a hurry, not watching herself. Her slight craving for blood had been satisfied by the blood bag she had inhaled that morning, so this bag wasn't so much a hunger thing, but a precaution thing.

She was living in a house with two humans.

Evanna cleaned her mouth once again, discarded the empty plastic pocket and moved towards the door. She felt a sudden wave of nausea creep over her and froze, debating whether or not she would have to run back to the toilet.

She took a deep, steadying breath. No, she was good.

Evanna furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She had believed vampires didn't get sick, not usually - but maybe she had just overfed.

Shaking her head, she decided to take a seat on the edge of her bed, eventually laying back and curling up with a hand on her stomach. Soon after, she fell asleep.

* * *

"How does that even happen?" Stefan was asking from where he sat on the couch beside his brother,"She just lit up like a Roman Candle."

"Magic, brother." Damon replied,"Knows no bounds. But at least we got a name. _Deacon..._"

"You know it? 'Cause I'm drawing a blank."

"Never heard of it." Damon answered with a slight shrug.

"_And _we know he's got a witch under his wing too, but -"

"_But _that witch is probably working _with _him by their own choice. Has anyone ever been able to control a witch?"

Stefan let his head loll towards his brother in consideration,"Well, there was Greta. And New Orleans is a little shady in terms of vampire-witch relations."

Damon grimaced,"Oh yeah... awkward times."

"Could you imagine a Bennett in New Orleans?" Stefan asked with a hint of a grin. Damon burst out laughing.

"Those tyrannical vampires wouldn't last a _second._"

Stefan made an amused noise of agreement and then sighed, tapping his knee,"We should talk about what we're going to do about Evanna."

"Oh, brother, we were having a moment. Why do you have to bring the mood down?"

Stefan rolled his eyes, climbing up off the couch and pacing before his brother,"Sorry. But I was thinking we could take her out hunting tomorrow."

Damon scoffed,"You're delusional."

Stefan's expression was a mix of hurt and confusion,"Why?"

"You really think that girl is gonna go out and feed on bunnies? Stefan! She cries watching those emergency vet shows. She hasn't seen the end of Bambi, or Marley and Me."

"Well, maybe now that she's a vampire, she'll be ... different about it."

"Ha!"

"Just give it a chance." Stefan spoke sternly,"Let's just see how she goes."

"Fine, but when she's cuddling that deer instead of feeding on it, don't look at me." Damon pulled his ringing phone from his pocket and answered on the second ring,"Yello?"

"Damon, it's me."

"Alaric? Wait, which Alaric is this? The one who has always wanted to kill me, or... the one who has always wanted to kill me but _didn't _because he couldn't stand to live without me."

"The first one."

"Oh! Regular Rick! What's up?"

Alaric chuckled on the other line,"Listen, Evanna has a theory on why I'm still a walking, talking dead man, and I think you should hear it. It's pretty good."

"I'm on my way." Damon nodded, and hung up. He picked up his brother's jacket from the back of the couch and tossed it to him.

"Let's roll, brother."

"Can I drive?"

"Sure."

"Really?"

"No, you idiot. I'm older, therefore I'm the boss."

"Oh, God, we're kids again."

* * *

Evanna awoke to the sound of a car pulling up outside. Night had fallen, and she switched on the lamp on her bedside table before rushing towards the window, spotting Damon exiting his car.

Seeing him sent an unexpected jolt of giddiness through her and she stopped.

That was new.

Shaking her head softly, she headed downstairs to greet the Salvatore brothers at the door.

* * *

**Yay! We finally have an answer about Alaric! I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense. I tried to explain it as best as I could, and I hope you understand. And we had some cute brotherly moments. I seriously love Defan. They deserve to be happy, and I think they'd be happy if they forgot the Petrova girls and just focused on being brothers.**

**Sorry, my opinion somehow weaseled itself in there, ha.**

**Cute Damon and Evanna moments to come, I promise. I was actually going to make this chapter longer but it felt right to end it there, and when it feels right, it usually is. **_**Usually.**_

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, especially our new reviewer, Taylorocks17. It's so nice to meet new reviewers. **

**I hope you all enjoyed, and I will update next Friday. (Wish me luck, because that will by my first day of Junior Year.)**

**- Megan.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Evanna couldn't wait to get out of the house. She got up early, got dressed and then headed into her bathroom, grabbing a blood bag. She was hesitant to drink from it, as ever since Saturday, she had been suffering from nausea. Taking a deep breath, she drank quickly, knowing that she would have to be full in order to survive in the mass of people at school.

Sighing, she grabbed her bag and hurried downstairs, meeting up with Elena and Jeremy and climbing into Elena's car. Her friends were surrounding her from the moment they arrived, all banding around her to offer their support. Stefan was especially wary, even after she assured him that she wasn't feeling the cravings they had warned her about. In fact, it only seemed to make him more worried, though she didn't understand why.

It was weird though, being at school. Everyone just thought she had come down with something, and that had been why she had missed school the week before. Nobody knew she had changed so much in just a weekend, and everybody treated her like she was just little old, regular Evanna. It was much better than how her friends were treating her. She hated being coddled so much.

Finally, there was a class that she didn't share with any of her friends. Biology. Getting away from them for a while so she could be by herself was refreshing. She knew they were just trying to help her, but they didn't understand that them being so cautious was making her nervous, and she needed to relax. Caroline at least seemed to understand where she was coming from, because just as she left for biology, Caroline sent her a supportive smile and herded the others in the other direction.

Evanna was busy conducting an experiment in her group of three when things took a turn for the worst.

"Oh, damn it!" One girl, Tiffany, cursed as the empty glass beaker hit the floor and smashed into pieces. Tiffany bent down to begin picking up the glass, and some others moved to help, Evanna included. Evanna paused as Tiffany gasped, and pulled her hand back, revealing a thin scratch on her palm that had begun to bleed.

Evanna's hand went to her stomach, and she announced that she would get tissue and fled the classroom, jogging down the hall and into the bathroom. She made it to the toilet, and before she knew it, she was puking up the blood bag she had ingested that morning. Coughing and spluttering, she gasped for air as the blood came rushing up, her stomach twisting and turning. Flopping onto the floor, she flushed the evidence away and pulled herself up shakily, walking out towards the sink. She collected water in her hands and washed out her mouth, wiping away the blood and taking off her ruined cardigan. Grabbing a roll of toilet paper for Tiffany, Evanna slowly made it to her locker, stuffed the bloody cardigan inside and made it back to biology.

After that, she headed to the office, and didn't have to say much in terms of convincing anyone that she didn't feel good. The woman took one look at her pale complexion and her shaking body and offered to call for someone to pick Evanna up.

Evanna shook her head, saying she could do it, and ended up walking right out of the school without alerting her friends. She knew they would freak out, but was too disoriented to care.

Evanna didn't know what had come over her. She had been fine before, and now, she didn't feel like herself.

She had just begun walking home when a car stopped by the side of the road. She frowned, glancing towards the driver.

"Klaus?"

"Get in, love."

* * *

Klaus handed her the glass of water she had asked for, and she took it, taking a sip.

"So, you really have joined the undead club. I would have visited sooner, but I had things to attend to."

"What? Stalking Caroline? Possessing Tyler?" Evanna scoffed, leaning back on the couch in Klaus's living room. Klaus hummed in amusement.

"Something like that. I was researching."

Evanna raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and watching him move suspiciously,"Researching?"

"You and your little friends aren't the only ones with a vendetta against this Deacon character." Klaus admitted, turning to look at her as he leaned against the bar,"He stole something from me."

Evanna frowned,"What?"

"My electi blood."

Rolling her eyes, Evanna nodded,"Of course."

"Hey, I don't react well when people take things from me." Klaus shrugged,"So I want in."

"In on what?"

"The revenge pack. It's actually quite poetic - two sides banding together to defeat a mutual enemy."

"That's not poetic." Evanna stood up,"That's... that's smart. Damn it, why does it have to be smart?"

"Are you interested in working together or not?"

Evanna huffed,"Do you promise not to kill any of us?"

"I'll do my best."

"Bye, Klaus."

"Wait!" Klaus called after her, making her stop,"Fine. No killing. Even though most of your friends are quite annoying, I'll refrain from snapping anyone's neck."

"How big of you..." Evanna drawled, folding her arms,"Tell me about the research."

"Well, most of my contacts have no idea who this Deacon guy is, but some of them have heard bits and pieces. They're unreliable bits of information, of course, but the one thing that remains credible is a name."

Evanna nodded,"What name?"

"Alec Marsters."

Evanna paused, furrowing her eyebrows in thought. Klaus tilted his head, seeing the spark of recognition flash in her brown eyes.

"You know him?"

"He was my grandfather's best friend. He works up at Charlottesville University. My grandmother's there right now as a guest lecturer."

"Road trip!" Klaus called, moving to exit the room,"Get in the car. Don't bother packing; if you need anything, I'll buy it for you."

"Woah! Wait!" Evanna grabbed Klaus by the arm and pulled him back,"Contrary to popular belief, I can't just take off. If we're going on a research trip, it needs to be planned. Come to my place tonight, and I'll see what everyone has to say."

"Fine, fine. But what are you going to do when your friends inevitably say it's a bad decision and you shouldn't go?"

Evanna shrugged,"Then you leave my house, come back here and get everything ready. You park down the street from my place and we leave Mystic Falls without telling anyone until we arrive in Charlottesville. _Duh_..."

* * *

"It's a horrible idea!" Caroline exclaimed,"You can't leave town with _Klaus_!"

Klaus rolled his eyes, standing behind Evanna, who sat at the table in the Gilbert kitchen,"Relax, love. I'm not going to kidnap her. Besides, I would probably just end up giving her back."

Evanna scoffed and reached up behind her to smack him on the stomach for his remark, before sighing and turning back to her friends.

"Look, Klaus is the only one who has found an actual lead, and I don't about you guys, but I'm getting impatient. It doesn't matter who the lead comes from. If we have one, we should follow it."

"Evanna -"

"She's right, Stefan." Damon spoke, walking into the kitchen and ignoring the surprised stares. He nodded at Evanna,"You're right. We should check it out."

"And let me guess," Klaus grinned,"You're coming with us."

Evanna glanced back at the hybrid, an eyebrow raised,"Would you have expected anything less?"

"Not really, no. Fine, Damon can tag along. I'll pick you both up here at midnight. Don't be late! Knowing our luck, Deacon will get to Alec before we do."

* * *

Evanna paused in front of her mirror, catching the reflection of the cooler of blood bags that hid partially under her bed. She thought back to being in school, the feeling of complete disorientation and illness coming back to her and considered telling someone about it. The blood just wouldn't settle in her stomach, and it wasn't even that the taste was particularly bad, it just didn't agree with her.

Shaking her head, she decided against confessing. Whatever it was, she could handle it. Besides, it was probably just her body getting used to the new change. She pulled the cooler out from under her bed, taking one out and deciding to test her stomach with it. Walking into the bathroom, she closed the door and ripped the top off the bag, bringing it to her lips.

She managed to drink a few gulps down and then stopped, taking a deep breath against the rush of nausea and dizziness that took over her. Her arms began to shake, and the open bag slipped from her grasp, falling into the sink and splashing the contents all over the counter, the bottom half of the mirror, and her top.

Evanna cursed under her breath, and spun around quickly to grab a towel to clean up the mess. She swayed, and grabbed onto the door of the shower, lowering her shivering body onto the floor and clutching her stomach as painful spasms rocked her body.

It passed as quickly as it came on, and shakily, she stood up and grabbed the towel, wiping up the mess.

"Evanna? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Jer." Evanna called back,"I just spilled some blood. You might not want to come in here."

"Okay. Damon called, he's on his way."

Evanna cursed under her breath again and moved faster to clean up the blood, wiping it from the mirror.

"Okay, thanks Jer!" She called and heard her bedroom door close. She tossed the bloody towel into the bin, and hurried back into her bedroom, stripping off her stained top and replacing it. She rushed back into the bathroom and threw her top in with the towel before switching off the bathroom light and walking back again into her bedroom.

"_Cute pjs_."

Evanna gasped, jumping in fright,"Oh, God, Damon, I can explain - well, actually, I can't, I -

"_I aim to please. What are you doing here?_ " Evanna froze, hearing her own voice coming from behind her. She glanced back to see herself standing there, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, staring at Damon who sat on her window seat.

"_I brought you this." He said, holding up her necklace._

_"My necklace. I thought it was gone. Thank you." Evanna tried to take it when he stopped in front of her,"Damon..."_

_"I just have to say something."_

_Evanna tensed,"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?"_

_"Well, because what I'm about to say is… probably the most selfish thing I have ever said in my life."_

_"Damon, I don't -"_

_"No, I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it. I love you, Evanna and it's because I love you that… I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you."_

_Damon leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently, before pulling back and staring into her eyes,"God, I wish you didn't have to forget this; but you do."_

Evanna frowned at the same time as her other self did, but the realization dawned on her quicker and she gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

Soon enough, the two figures standing by her bed disappeared, leaving her alone in total silence. She heard footsteps heading for her room, and her head snapped towards the door.

Damon stopped by her door, completely unaware of what had just been revealed to her. He looked barely any different than his past-self, that same caring yet confused expression on his face.

"You ready to go?"

* * *

**Annnnnnd Damon's in trouble! I'm so sorry that this was a day late. I was so exhausted from my first day back that I just couldn't bring myself to think about anything other than food and rest. And homework, but apparently I have no choice with that. I miss old slacker Megan. She was so much more fun.**

**Anyway, here you go, friends! I hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think!**

**- Megan.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Time seemed to stand still. Staring at Damon, watching his face shift from confusion, to concern, and back again, Evanna was frozen.

Pushing away her wish to run away; to escape and not have to look at him so soon, she swallowed and opened her mouth to say something, only to falter and drop her gaze to the floor. She didn't know what to say.

The pressure to answer his simple question was far too much. She had been ready to go, but now she wasn't sure. Did she want to leave town with him? Did she want to stay behind? Did she want to bury her head in the sand just so she could ignore everything, ignore it all like she was used to doing.

No, she couldn't do that. Not anymore. There was a swelling in her chest that spread warmth throughout her body, creating a tingly sensation that wasn't entirely unwelcomed. But to combat that, there was also a hollow feeling in her stomach that either way, made her want to cry.

"Evanna?" He called gently,"What -"

"What is taking so long?!" Klaus's voice interrupted as he stomped up the stairs, pushing by Damon to enter her bedroom. He looked around, having not really spent much time in the Gilbert house and shrugged, nodding to himself.

"I was expecting more... pink." He said offhandedly, and then his eyes narrowed at Evanna,"Evanna, love, I said midnight. Chop, chop, you can fix your hair in the car."

His appearance provided a momentary distraction, and she gave him a withering look,"My hair is fine, thank you. And it's twelve-oh-two."

"Two minutes too late." Klaus pointed out firmly, tapping his wrist, despite him not actually wearing a watch,"I'm very impatient."

"We noticed." Damon drawled,"And what's the hurry? Charlottesville is an hour's drive from here at human speed. It's not Paris."

"No," Klaus grimaced,"It's not. Look at this way; the faster we get there, the faster we can return, and the faster we can all go our separate ways. Sound good?" He glanced between the two of them,"Thought so."

He grabbed Evanna's duffel bag off of her bed and grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the room. She refused to look at Damon on her way out, which left him frowning. He glanced back into her bedroom before switching off the light and closing the door behind them.

* * *

Evanna got her own motel room in the end, after pestering Klaus enough in the most childish of ways - 'I know you are, but what am I?'

Eventually, Klaus huffed and handed her a different room key, which made her grin smugly and disappear into her room. With the door closed, she allowed herself to flop onto her bed, and run her hands through her hair. She closed her eyes and concentrated, hearing Damon and Klaus bickering in the next room. As quietly as she could, Evanna snuck out of her motel room, her phone clutched in her hand as she looked around before using her vampire speed for the second time since turning to go a little ways down the road, out of earshot of anyone.

Dialing in the familiar number, Evanna bit her lip as she leaned against the wall, waiting impatiently for the phone to ring. She needed to talk to someone. She longed for the days when she was human, and pushing away her feelings was so much easier. But because everything was heightened, it was much harder, and she felt as though she was going to burst.

She needed someone who wouldn't freak out. Someone who wouldn't blab what she was about to say to somebody else. Someone who could keep a level-head.

"Meredith? Hey... no, I'm fine... sorta. I just... I really need someone to talk to. It's... it's about Damon."

* * *

Evanna didn't return to her motel room until the early hours of the morning. She snuck back in, having spent most of her night just wandering around Charlottesville.

When she opened her motel room door, she was surprised to find Klaus sitting on her bed, thumbing through her history textbook that she had brought along, hoping to study in preparation for a big test.

He didn't even look up when she walked in, softly shutting the door behind her. She shifted nervously, waiting for him to reprimand her, or go and tell Damon. Instead, he flipped to the next page and scoffed in disgust, tossing the book to one side.

"These books are entirely biased." Klaus stated,"These things are written from the point of view of the winners, it's lacking some of the most important details. Tell me when your finals are coming up so I can tutor you. Maybe I should complain to Alaric..."

"You want to tutor me?" Evanna laughed,"I thought you wanted to 'go your separate ways'."

"And I never thought Evanna Gilbert would be the one to sneak out and go gallivanting around town when there's a crazy vampire after her, but apparently we've all made mistakes."

Evanna sighed, folding her arms,"You gonna rat me out? 'Cause if you plan to blackmail me, I'll just go tell Damon myself. I'd rather deal with him."

Klaus brought his hand to his chest,"Moi? Blackmail? I'm hurt that you would think something so horrible of me."

"Oh, Klaus, trust me - I think _plenty _of horrible things about you."

"Aside from that comment, I'm not here to blackmail you, and I'm not going to rat you out. I actually wanted to know if you were okay."

Evanna's eyebrows shot into her hairline,"What?"

Klaus rolled his eyes,"You were quiet in the car. You're never quiet. _Ever._"

It was Evanna's turn to roll her eyes and she moved to sit on the bed next to him,"Like you're one to talk. 'I'm Klaus, I'm _so _evil. I'm the oldest vampire in history' - which is actually not true. Yes, you're the oldest hybrid, but technically, Elijah is older than you, as was Finn, and then there was your father, so... just stop." She raised a hand and wagged her finger at him,"And yeah, I'm fine. I just have some things on my mind."

"Like Damon?"

Evanna glared at him,"Nosy, much? And here I didn't think you had ever taken your mind off Caroline long enough to notice those around you."

Klaus hummed in appreciation,"Touche. So, where is it?"

Evanna frowned,"Where's what?"

"You're speech. You're 'if you hurt her, I'll find some horrific way to kill you, let me explain how' speech."

Evanna smirked,"Why would I give you the speech when you _clearly _know what would happen if you ever hurt my best friend? Besides, it's not my place to judge. If Caroline wants to date you, I won't understand the appeal, but I'm not going to talk her out of it. She's capable of making her own decisions."

Klaus nudged Evanna teasingly,"Does this mean we have become friends, Gilbert?"

Evanna grimaced,"Never call us friends. You killed me, I killed you, we're even. Don't screw it up!"

There was a knock on the motel room door, and Damon popped his head around. His dark hair was tousled from sleep, his blue eyes bright as he looked between Evanna and Klaus suspiciously. He shook his head, and rolled his eyes towards the sky.

"We leave for UC Charlottesville in an hour."

* * *

The college was gorgeous. It was large and the grounds were expansive. Evanna let her eyes roam around the building, allowing herself to check out the male population of the college just so she would have something interesting to inform Caroline of, and plus - college boys.

She knew the first class her grandmother would be guest lecturing in would be the occult, so they headed towards that department and snuck into the back. Evanna sat in between Damon and Klaus, her eyes scanning the front of the classroom for her grandmother. She located Sheila, who sat at the front beside another, younger man.

The man standing at the center of the class looked around Sheila's age, with salt and pepper hair, and kind brown eyes that were hidden behind thin glasses. He had that professor look, and made a few introductory jokes before beckoning for the younger man to step up.

"Good morning, everyone!" The younger guy greeted, giving a wave,"My name is Professor Shane, but please, just call me Shane."

"Ugh, trying to be friends with the students..." Evanna heard Damon groan beside her. Klaus hummed in amusement on her other side, glancing towards the blue-eyed vampire.

"Makes you long for the days where teachers hated their class, doesn't it?"

Damon rolled his neck,"I'd rather go back to the days of homeschooling with my father."

Evanna shook away the oddness of the situation; Damon and Klaus, reminiscing about the old days at the back of a college standard lecture hall, and focused on the lesson. For an occult lecture, the room was pretty packed, and she rose her eyebrows as she scanned the students surrounding her.

Her eyes dropped down the aisles, lower and lower, back towards the front where she looked up and locked eyes with Professor Shane for a split second before his eyes moved to someone else in the audience. Evanna pursed her lips, glancing towards her grandmother, who was smiling at the older man who had taken Professor Shane's seat. They were talking in hushed whispers, and Evanna swore she saw her grandmother giggle.

Her eyes widened, and then narrowed as she bent forward to inspect the scene. She felt Damon shift beside her, and then his head was bowed beside hers,"Looks like Grandma Bennett has herself a _boyfriend_..."

"Shut up..." Evanna mumbled, smacking his arm and straightening up in her seat.

"Look at them down there; like two teenagers." Damon snorted, backing up too and sliding his arm around Evanna's shoulder. Evanna tensed, glancing at him sideways.

"Just because we're at a college, doesn't mean you have to act like a horny frat boy."

Damon smirked, wriggling his eyebrows,"But it's so fun..."

"Ugh, you two are disgusting." Klaus rolled his eyes, slumping in his chair and pulling out his phone.

Evanna rose an eyebrow,"Are you texting in class?"

"Yes, _mom_..."

Evanna growled at him, snatching his phone away and slipping it into her pocket before smacking him upside the head, and removing Damon's arm from her shoulder.

"Boys, pay attention. We're trying not to draw attention to ourselves."

They were both quiet after that, and soon after, the lecture was over, and the lights were being switched back on. Hordes of students exited the room, with Evanna being the first one to go against the crowd and head towards the front of the room, Klaus and Damon not far behind.

The three lecturers were crowded around the desk at the front, talking cheerily amongst themselves. Evanna hopped off the last step, the soft thud from the impact of her boots hitting the floor alerting Sheila to their presence. Her green, feline eyes widened, and the grin on her face was happy.

"Evanna! What are you doing here?"

Evanna smiled, hugging her grandmother back tightly. Her eyes flitted to Professor Shane and Mr. Flirty, and she pulled back,"Uh... research."

"Research?"

Klaus stepped up, a tiny little smirk on his face,"For future reference. Evanna's checking out her prospective college choices. Hi, Sheila."

"Klaus..." Sheila's eyes moved to Damon as he stopped beside Evanna,"And Damon." Her eyes landed on Evanna, her eyebrows raised.

Evanna just shrugged. Sheila nodded. Turning a hundred and eighty degrees on her heels, she motioned towards her colleagues,"Well, this is Professor Atticus Shane, and Professor Alec Marsters. Alec, Shane, this is Damon Salvatore, Klaus Mikaelson and my granddaughter, Evanna Gilbert."

"Evanna..." Alec nodded, shaking her hand, a polite smile on his face,"It's been years. Oh, I doubt you'd remember me, you were only little when we met. You barely standing above my knee."

Evanna smiled,"I remember bits and pieces. It's nice to re-meet you."

Sheila set her hand on Evanna's shoulder, and one on Damon's as if to guide them out whilst Klaus rocked back and forth on his heels, looking disinterested.

"Well, why don't I give you three a tour and we can leave Shane and Alec to get back to work."

Evanna nodded quickly,"Sounds good."

Shane gave Evanna a grin before walking out, whilst Alec stopped at the door, smiling over at Sheila,"I'll pick you up at seven, if that's okay?"

"That's perfect." Sheila smiled back, and Alec gave Evanna, Damon and even Klaus a nod before disappearing. Evanna blew out a breath and turned on Sheila,"What's at seven?"

"Nothing much."

"He said he'd pick you up at seven, Grams. That's date talk."

"It's not a date. We're going out to dinner."

"Huh... sounds like a date."

Sheila rolled her eyes and began walking out, leaving them to follow her. Evanna stomped out after her, calling out.

"Do I have to start calling him Grandpa? Grams? Grams!"

* * *

**I know! It's short, and it's late, and I'm a horrible person with a life too hectic to even process properly. I promise, though, I will get better as soon as things calm down. For now, I hope you at least got some enjoyment out of this chapter. **

**- Megan.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

For the first day at UC Charlottesville, Evanna spent most of her time with Sheila, who decided to give her the tour whilst the boys went off. And by that, Klaus got bored and left, whilst Damon went after him to make sure he didn't kill anyone.

"What do you think of the campus?" Sheila asked as they strolled through the quad. Evanna folded her arms, smiling.

"I like it, but I think I'll stay home for college."

"Really?"

Evanna shrugged,"Yeah, I mean... I don't see myself leaving Mystic Falls. Too many memories to leave behind. Besides, it seems that I leave for an hour and everything goes to hell. Which reminds me, I should call Elena." Evanna ran a hand through her hair, her stress signs showing through as her smile faded,"Oh, God, what if something happened?"

Sheila set her hand on Evanna's forearm,"Sweetheart, nothing happened. Everyone's fine."

Evanna nodded,"Right, you're right. If something happened, I'd know, or Damon would know, and that man can't keep anything to himself..." Evanna trailed off, remembering that _one _thing he had in fact kept to himself. She grimaced and shook her head.

"Are you okay?" Sheila asked, ducking her head.

Evanna plastered on a smile, rolling her eyes at her own ridiculousness,"Yeah, I guess it's just the heightened emotions thing. I worried too much as a human, and now..." She groaned and cradled her head in her hands, running them down her face,"I hate this. I burst into tears yesterday because I thought of _Bambi_..."

Sheila snorted, and received a glare from Evanna. She stifled her amusement and put on a sympathetic look. Evanna scoffed and shoved her arm playfully.

"Oh, shut up..."

Sheila laughed and threw her arm around her granddaughter as they headed back into the college.

"So, this Alec guy..." Evanna began, earning a sideways glance. She held up her hands in surrender,"Hey! I just want to know more about him. I mean, when _Klaus _has heard of him, I have reason to pry."

"He's not a bad guy." Sheila promised,"He and your grandfather were the best of friends their whole lives."

"And you're dating him?"

"I am not! I am going out to dinner with an old friend."

"Who is totally into you."

"Evanna Marie!"

Evanna burst out laughing,"Okay, okay. So, since he's such a good friend, how do we go about asking him about..." Evanna scrunched up her face,"I want to say 'Deacon'. Or, was it 'Deaton' with a _t_? No, it was definitely a _c_..."

"I could bring it up tonight. I don't have to say anything about you. I could just say I was reading through some old books and I found some interesting things."

Evanna pursed her lips, considering it before nodding,"Sure. If he reacts, we approach him. If he doesn't, we go home and I kill Klaus for dragging us here."

Evanna held the door to the cafeteria open for Sheila, and the two of them took a seat.

"Okay, I'm going to get some coffee. Want anything?"

"Brownie!" Evanna clapped her hands excitedly, making Sheila smile as she walked away,"With sprinkles! _Lots _of sprinkles."

Whilst waiting, Evanna took out her phone to check her messages. She felt someone tap her shoulder and sat upright, glancing over her shoulder at the group of students behind her.

The boy who had tapped her had spiky brown hair, and green eyes, as well as one of those dazzling smiles.

"Hi, uh, could you help me? Something's wrong with my cell phone."

Evanna raised an eyebrow,"I can try. What's the problem?"

"Well, you see, your number isn't in it..."

Evanna pursed her lips, humming in amusement,"That was incredibly lame."

"But it broke the ice." He winked, sticking out his hand for her to shake,"I'm Kyle."

"Evanna."

"Well, Evanna, it's nice to meet you. Are you new? I don't think I've seen you around."

"Uh, no, I'm visiting. My grandmother is a guest lecturer."

"Professor B?" Another guy asked, turning around. Evanna tried not to shrink back as all eyes turned on her and she nodded.

"If B stands for Bennett, then yes."

"Wow, who knew she had such a hot granddaughter!"

Kyle smacked the guy next to him upside the head,"Dude, have a little class."

A girl in the corner rolled her eyes, and smiled at Evanna,"How long are you here for?"

"Uh, a few days."

"Well, you should totally come to the party tonight." A guy beside the girl suggested, grinning as he bit into his shiny red apple.

Evanna raised an eyebrow,"A party?"

"Yeah," Kyle shrugged,"It's a huge thing. We have it every year. Just a bunch of people getting together, and getting drunk, but I promise, it's fun. What do you say?"

"Uh, sure, as long as I can bring friends."

"Of course." Kyle grinned,"The more the merrier."

Evanna smiled back, accepting the flyer that the girl had fished out of her bag, and folding it, she slipped it into her own bag just as her phone beeped with a call from Stefan.

She excused herself, with the group exclaiming their hope to see her that night and answered Stefan, meeting up with Sheila and leaving the cafeteria.

* * *

"Is this a good idea?"

Damon shrugged, pacing back and forth in the motel room. He could hear the shower running in the next room and knew Evanna was inside. Despite the less than clean thoughts it brought up, he was more focused on the conversation.

"Oh, brother, college parties are never good ideas, but they lead to awesome memories... that is, if you can actually remember anything the next morning."

"Not what I mean Damon. I don't think alcohol is much of a threat right now."

"Well, what are you saying is the threat? And stop brooding, you'll get wrinkles."

"You can't even see me -"

"_Stefan..._"

"Look, I'm just worried about Evanna. I know she would never hurt anyone _intentionally_ -"

"But being in a group that large could be catastrophic, I know." Damon finished, slipping on his dark grey leather jacket,"But she was in a lecture hall today and I swear, it was like she never turned."

"Believe it or not, that's also making me worry. Evanna isn't... _craving_ like she should be. Elena said, at most, she's only seen Evanna disappear to feed twice in one day. Some of the time, you drink three bags in one go."

"I'm a hungry guy..." Damon whined, pouting before letting his face form a worried frown,"Though, now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure she's only fed once today."

"It's not normal."

Damon pursed his lips,"Okay, I'll keep an eye on her. How's everything at home?"

"Quiet."

"Ugh, boring!"

"Actually, it's nice."

"I'm _so _surprised you think that. Well, you enjoy your green tea and your good book, old man. I'm going to get drunk. Don't wait up."

He could practically hear Stefan roll his eyes on the other line,"Make good choices!"

"Bye, brother."

Klaus emerged from the bathroom, buttoning up his blazer,"So, how long has it been since you've been to a college party?"

"2004. You?"

"80's."

"What were you doing the rest of the time?"

"Obsessively tracking down my electi so I could kill her and break the sun and the moon curse, which, at the time, I believed to be real."

Damon nodded slowly,"Oh, yeah, almost forgot about that."

There was a knock on the door and Evanna popped her head around, a hand over her eyes.

"Please tell me neither of you is naked."

Klaus smirked,"We both are."

Evanna dropped her hand, beaming innocently back,"Huh, and here I thought it was Caroline you were into. Can we go?"

"Sure." Damon smiled, standing up to follow her out. His eyes trailed up and down her outfit, appreciating the view. She wore black skinny jeans that came down to mid-thigh, black ankle boots that added about three inches to her height, and a salmon pink, sleeveless lace peplum top. Her hair had been straightened and stopped at the middle of her back, whilst her fringe was clipped back in a quiff. She looked beautiful.

"Woah, wait a minute, young lady!" Klaus called after her,"Now, let me tell you something about frat boys. They are grabby, they are douche-bags, and they are not to be trusted."

Evanna rolled her eyes, leaning against the door frame,"Oh, so they're like you?"

"Exactly! So stay away from them."

"Yes, _dad..._"

* * *

_I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone._

_I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn._

_I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs._

_I crashed my car into the bridge._

The place was packed. The lights were off, strobe lights being the only thing to illuminate the dorm hall, and the music was so loud that Evanna could feel it pounding in her chest. She pulled the reigns in tight on her advanced hearing, for fear of going deaf from the noise. It was weird to not be at a party with her friends, but Damon's gentle hand on her back assured her. Large crowds had always made her nervous.

Damon gave her arm a squeeze, shouting over the music to say he was getting drinks whilst Klaus smirked at her.

Evanna's eyes went wide,"No."

He nodded.

"No!" He grabbed her arm and tugged her onto the dance floor,"No! Klaus!"

"Just let it happen!" He laughed, spinning her out.

Dancing with Klaus was, Evanna had to admit, a hilarious experience. She found herself laughing, though the laugh stopped abruptly when she noticed some blonde girl hanging all over Damon.

Klaus glanced over and pursed his lips,"Uh, oh, is somebody jealous?"

Evanna glared at him, rolling her eyes,"I don't get jealous."

"Evanna, _everyone _gets jealous. Go over there."

"It's not my place. Now, if I was his girlfriend, I would be over there, but I'm not, and I like this song."

Klaus shrugged,"Alright, if you say so."

"I do." Evanna confirmed.

She felt someone bump into her, and turned around in curiosity. Kyle apologized and then looked at her, a grin breaking out on his face.

"Hey, Evanna! You made it!"

"Yeah, I - oh, okay, we're hugging." Evanna remained polite and tapped Kyle's back once or twice. The overwhelming smell of cologne hit her nose and she grimaced, but made sure to smile when he finally released his grip on her.

"Well, my night just got a whole lot better." He beamed, his eyes flitting to Klaus. Evanna glanced back at the grinning Original, and nodded.

"Uh, Kyle, this is... Klaus. He's my -"

"Friend."

"I was going to say pain in the ass, but friend will do."

Klaus chuckled, throwing an arm around Evanna's shoulder,"Always making jokes. She's just in denial about how much she loves me."

"Well, I'd hate to interrupt, but you think I could steal you away for a dance?"

Evanna opened her mouth to reply, but Klaus got there first, clamping his hands down on Evanna's shoulders,"Of course you can! Now, how about you two dance right about... here."

Evanna frowned, and then her face fell, a glare being directed his way as she noticed the position he had put her in, put her and Kyle in perfect view of Damon - who looked about ready to run far, far away from the clingy blonde.

Klaus bid them goodbye, but Evanna held up a finger and followed after him, grabbing his arm and roughly pulling him down to her level.

"You are worse than a teenage girl with your schemes."

Klaus laughed, tapping her on the head,"I'm just being a good friend, love. I give it ten minutes before Damon is over here. Have fun with the sophomore!"

Evanna let out a string of curses, before turning around and smiling at Kyle.

"Everything okay?"

Evanna nodded, taking his hand,"Yeah, everything's... fine."

* * *

After dancing with Kyle, Evanna glanced behind herself, looking for some excuse not to get roped into a slow dance. He seemed like a nice guy, but he wasn't her type.

Her type had disappeared.

Towards the end of her second dance with Kyle, at the point where she just knew the next dance would be a slow one, Damon reappeared beside her.

"Evanna," He began,"There you are. Who's this?"

"I'm Kyle."

"Damon." He replied, glancing down at Kyle's outstretched hand before shaking it. Evanna folded her arms, taking a step back.

"Damon's my..." She struggled to find the appropriate word,"Damon."

Damon's grin was smug and full of delight as she kicked herself. How had she forgotten every descriptive word in the English language in the space of five seconds?

"Yes, and _her_ Damon is requesting a dance." He held out his hand,"_Evanna_..."

Evanna glanced back at Kyle, who winked,"That's fine. Rain check?"

Evanna opened her mouth, and then shut it, nodding and tossing him a polite smile. Damon stepped in front of her, and she set her hand on his shoulder, the other hand interlocking with his, whilst his free arm slid around her waist.

"That was rude."

"He's not your type."

"How do you know?" Evanna cocked her head, squinting up at him challengingly.

"Because he's superficial. You get what you see. You like mystery, and passion, and just a slight bit of cockiness, though you would never admit it. Evanna's a good girl, right? She would never actively pursue someone with those traits."

Evanna bit her lip,"I attracted you, didn't I?"

Damon smirked,"Yes, you did. After all, I am _your _Damon."

Evanna rolled her eyes, scoffing,"Oh, shut it."

Damon chuckled, his blue eyes burning with passion as his hand gave her waist a slight squeeze. It slowly moved up towards her back, the hand intertwined with hers letting go, and moving to push some of her hair back out of her face as her now free hand landed on his shoulder. Damon's thumb stroked across her burning cheek, and Evanna found herself leaning in.

_So I'll make sure to keep my distance_

_Say, 'I love you,' when you're not listening..._

_"I love you, Evanna..." "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this... but you do."_

Just before their lips met, Evanna jerked back, the memory crashing over her like a powerful, icy cold wave. Damon seemed confused as she extracted herself from his arms.

"Evanna -?"

"I-I need some air." She said quickly, before making a dash for the door. Klaus had immersed himself among some college students, but stepped forward when she flew by him.

"Evanna, where are you going?"

Evanna felt the hot tears trail down her cheek and angrily wiped them away, storming across the quad towards the office her grandmother used.

The same office her grandfather had used.

She turned the corner, which led down into a dark alleyway. She shook her head, realizing she had taken the wrong turn as the entrance to the main building should have been there instead of a large brick wall.

"Evanna?"

She whirled around,"Kyle?"

"You okay?" He asked, stepping forward.

"I'm -" There was a twisting motion in her stomach, and she felt her whole body go numb. Her throat constricted, and she set a hand on her stomach. She flew towards a dark corner, holding her hair back as she bent over and vomited. She became hysterical, tears now cascading down her cheeks and sobs escaping her lips.

This didn't make sense; she hadn't had blood at all that day. How did she have anything to expel?

The world was spinning around her, and she couldn't breathe. She felt a hand on her back, and turned, snarling before she could stop herself.

Kyle backtracked immediately, and seeing his horrified face made her return to reality. Her fingers rose to her face, feeling the bumpy veins under her eyes and the sharp fangs.

"Kyle..." She breathed, blood on her chin and bottom lip. She held out a hand to try and calm him down,"Listen to me, it's okay."

"What _are _you?"

"None of your concern." A voice decided, and before Evanna could react, Kyle's head snapped to one side so fast that she could hear the snap. His lifeless body dropped to the ground, and Evanna rushed towards him to try and help somehow.

When she realized it was pointless, her eyes went to the figure strolling off away from her. He turned back, his face hidden by the fedora on his head, though she could see his smirk.

She breathed, blinking away the tears that made her eyesight blurry.

"Deacon..."

* * *

**Whoo! I worked my butt off on this chapter. I've been having Damon feels and I hope that shone through. More importantly, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**Oh, and _just in case _you don't know; **

**First Song: **I love it (I don't care) - Icona Pop

**Second Song: **Distance - Christina Perri

**- Megan.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Old Promises and New Beginnings**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Klaus was the first one to find her. The energy had disappeared from her body, and she simply sat in a slump on the ground, staring at the spot where Deacon had come and gone.

Klaus helped her to her feet, taking note of the blood on her chin and the body of Kyle that she sat beside. His eyes went to hers and she shook her head.

"It wasn't me. His neck is broken."

Klaus nodded, taking another glance at Kyle's body as Damon ran up to them.

"Evanna! What happened?"

Evanna froze, her body shaking. She knew he was asking about why she had suddenly bolted, but she decided to answer selectively by saying.

"It was Deacon. He killed Kyle."

"Why would he do that?" Klaus asked her - not accusingly, but more out of confusion and curiosity.

Evanna shrugged,"I vamped out. Kyle saw me. It was fast, I-I can't remember everything."

Damon reached forward and slipped his finger underneath her chin, tilting her head up to look at her tear-stained face.

"Are you hurt? You're bleeding."

Evanna hurriedly wiped the blood away, and tore herself away from Klaus, her knees threatening to buckle.

"We should find Deacon. He could still be here."

"He isn't." Klaus shook his head,"We would have sensed him. He's gone."

"He killed Kyle." Evanna repeated, glancing down at the body,"How are we - should we - what do we do?"

"We hide the body." Damon spoke quietly, his voice grave,"Bury it, burn it -"

"Burn it?" Evanna gaped, her stomach twisting again. She felt her whole body become light, and before she knew it, she was out cold.

She felt a pair of arms slip around her body to keep her from slamming into the ground, and heard Damon's panicked exclamation of her name before everything went dark around her.

* * *

Sheila laughed as Alec finished telling his story. The restaurant he had taken her to was gorgeous, lit only by lamps and fairy lights. It wasn't the first date Sheila had been on since Grant's death, but unlike the others, Sheila didn't feel that sense of overwhelming guilt.

She liked to think that was Grant's way of telling her it was okay to finally move on. She remembered back to the time where the veil had been brought down, and the spirits had returned to Mystic Falls. What a hectic day that had been, but it had also been beautiful.

Seeing Grant again, talking to him, watching how proud he was as he watched Evanna, seeing how much she had grown into a strong, beautiful young woman. She had been so overjoyed to be able to share in that pride with him, to be with him once again.

She remembered the look on his face when she revealed that Evanna didn't know the truth about his death. He had been disappointed that Sheila hadn't told Evanna, and Sheila still carried the guilt with her, like she had since Grant's death. Knowing how much Evanna still grieved, still missed her grandfather, Sheila wished she could get over her own reluctance and finally let Evanna know.

Sheila wasn't stupid. She would find out one day. Sheila had wondered if Evanna knew already. Back before Evanna really knew she was a witch, when she had mentioned to Sheila that Elena was dating the new guy, Stefan Salvatore, and Evanna had met his older brother, Sheila had panicked and warned Evanna to steer clear of Damon.

She couldn't help but smile - look how well that had turned out.

Damon and Evanna were inseparable. Which was also why Sheila was surprised. Damon told Evanna everything - but he hadn't told her that.

Sheila realized she had tuned out, and caught onto Alec's concerned look.

"What are you thinking?" He asked softly, reaching across the table to take her hand.

"Just about Evanna." Sheila shrugged,"She's been... there's this guy bothering her, by the name of Deacon."

She watched Alec pause,"Deacon?"

"You know him?"

Alec took a deep breath,"What has he done?"

Sheila remained silent, and Alec slumped back in his seat, rubbing a hand over his face,"Is she...?" Sheila nodded. He sighed, and mumbled,"Far too young. What happened?"

"She was driving home with her cousin and went to make a phone call. Jamie was knocked out, and Evanna was attacked. He kidnapped her and her friend to make sure she did turn."

"Is that why she came here?"

Sheila nodded,"Klaus is... have you ever heard of the Originals?"

Alec nodded slowly.

"Klaus is... Niklaus. The Original Hybrid. Evanna is his electi - _was _his electi."

"But the legend says that Niklaus wanted to kill the electi. They seemed like friends."

Sheila nodded,"It's a very long story. My point is, Klaus consulted a few of his contacts, searching for someone who knew Deacon, but the only thing he could find was your name."

"I'm not surprised." Alec nodded, opening his mouth to speak, only to be cut off when a body planted itself beside their table.

Klaus grinned, glancing between them,"Well, isn't this cozy. Sorry, the big reveal is going to have to wait. Evanna's in trouble."

Sheila stood up immediately,"What? What happened?"

"Well, first she freaked and ran out of the party. Then Deacon appeared and killed some kid, and then... she fainted."

"Fainted?" Alec echoed in confusion,"Do vampires faint?"

"Not usually, no. And thank you for keeping your voice so loud." Klaus quipped, slowly clapping,"Excellent job, mate."

"I need to get to her." Sheila said, grabbing her purse,"Where is she?"

"Damon brought her to the motel. We should hurry - won't want her waking up alone with him, she might bolt. That girl is like a deer sometimes, the slightest little emotion and she's running."

"I'll go with you." Alec offered, standing up too,"I'm trained in first aid."

Klaus rolled his eyes,"Of course you are."

* * *

_Evanna's eyes snapped open. She could feel the leaves and twigs underneath her body and without a moment's hesitation, she sat up and climbed to her feet._

_"So nice of you to join me." _

_She whirled around, glaring at his face,"You."_

_"Hello, Evanna." Deacon grinned._

_Evanna glanced around herself,"Where are we?"_

_"Woods." Deacon replied flippantly._

_"Why?"_

_"Because I have something to show you... duh. I thought you were supposed to be the smart Gilbert."_

_"Look, if you're going to insult me all night, can you just kill me instead? Much better than listening to you talk."_

_Deacon grinned,"Feisty little thing, aren't you? I'm not going to kill you, Evanna. That was never my intention."_

_"So what was your intention?"_

_"To show you the truth. Your family isn't all its cracked up to be, you know. The revered Bennett line, so noble."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Evanna asked defensively._

_"How much can you trust your family?" He asked, circling her,"How sure are you that you know everything there is to know about your bloodline? Every family has secrets, but yours... they seem so much more harsh."_

_Evanna frowned, watching him disappear amongst the trees. He turned back to her, and nodded for her to follow._

_When she arrived at a small clearing, she could no longer find Deacon. She heard the sound of giggling and turned, beaming when she saw her grandfather's face._

_The little girl beside him laughed as she watched the embers float towards the ground. Evanna smiled, remembering this. Was that what it was? A memory? Could it be?_

_Grant always took her out camping in the woods every summer, just them and Sheila. She remembered hating it - the bugs, and the cold, but remembered loving it purely because she was spending time with her grandparents._

_"Where is your grandmother?" Grant asked, smiling,"I need my marshmallows!"_

_Little Evanna scrunched up her face,"Marshmallows are yucky."_

_"What?!" Grant exclaimed in mock outrage,"Marshmallows are the best. Primary ingredient in smores."_

_"Smores?" Little Evanna grinned,"I like smores."_

_"You just like the chocolate." Grant laughed,"Marshmallow hater."_

_Little Evanna rolled her eyes at the same time Big Evanna did, laughing softly,"Oh, zip it."_

_Evanna watched the littler version of herself freeze, a hand going to her chest as she looked as though the breath was knocked out of her. Grant paused, ducking his head to get her attention._

_"What's wrong, pumpkin?"_

_"I just... I got this really bad feeling." Little Evanna frowned,"It's like my heart went cold."_

_Evanna paused; she did know that feeling. It was how she sensed vampires. But she didn't have her powers at the age of eleven._

_She watched Grant stand up and look around them frantically. Little Evanna frowned again._

_"Granddad, what's wrong?"_

_"Nothing, honey. Let's just go to the car and see where your grandmother is, okay? Let's hurry so we don't miss her."_

_"Not so fast." A voice called out, stopping them in their tracks. A woman appeared through the trees, grinning whilst Deacon appeared from behind her._

_Grant held up his hand as they approached, keeping Little Evanna protectively hidden behind him._

_"We want the girl." The female spoke sinisterly, snarling at Grant._

_"Over my dead body."_

_Deacon grinned,"That can be arranged."_

_Grant whirled around to face Little Evanna,"Ava, baby, run! Run as fast as you can, find your grandmother! Go, Evanna!"_

_Little Evanna took off running, stumbling over her own two feet. She didn't make it far before the female vampire was in front of her, grabbing her around the waist and hauling her into the air. Little Evanna kicked and struggled and Big Evanna made a move, torn between wanting to protect herself and Grant. She watched in horror as Deacon sunk his teeth into Grant's neck, and Little Evanna screamed as Grant dropped to the ground._

_A burst of energy sent a shock wave through the woods, and the female vampire flew back, dropping Little Evanna to the ground. Little Evanna stared at her hands in shock before clambering over to Grant's body, sobbing and screaming._

_Deacon flew at her, and she threw her hands up to block his attack, sending him flying into a tree. _

_"You little bitch!" The female roared at her, lunging, her fangs bared. Little Evanna let out a scream, and then sobbed in fright as the female stopped, choking on her own blood. She dropped to the ground, dead, leaving behind a man who held a bloody heart in his hand._

_Evanna breathed,"Damon?"_

_He didn't hear her as he flung the heart to one side, taking a menacing step towards Deacon._

_"You killed her." Deacon growled._

_"Yeah, and I'm about to kill you." Damon promised, his voice gruff with emotion._

_Deacon took another look at Little Evanna before speeding away from the scene. Damon dropped down beside Little Evanna and checked Grant, shaking his head and sighing._

_"Oh, man, Grant..." Damon trailed off, running his clean hand over his face. He glanced to the side, where the eleven year old was steadily backing away from him. Damon stood up slowly as her back hit a wall, and tried to calm himself down, feeling his face return to normal._

_"Evanna, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."_

_"You're j-just like them." Little Evanna sobbed,"They - he - I -"_

_"Evanna -"_

_"Stay away from me!" Little Evanna yelled, but Damon kept coming until he was bent in front of her._

_"Listen, you're safe now. You just have to trust me."_

_"Trust you?" Little Evanna echoed in disbelief, wrapping her arms around herself,"My grandfather - he's -" She paused, her eyes going wide as they landed on Grant's body,"He's dead."_

_Big Evanna cried as she watched her younger self go into shock. Sheila burst through the trees and took in the scene, dropping to her knees in front of Grant's body and wailing. Evanna covered her ears, feeling like she was about to be sick and staggered back, shaking her head._

_She watched Damon slip off his coat and drape it over the eleven year old, before approaching Sheila. He placed his hand on Sheila's shoulder, and pulled her to her feet, pulling her to him._

_"Sheila, don't look at him."_

_"Who did this?"_

_"I'm not sure." Damon sighed,"They tried to take Evanna."_

_"Evanna!" Sheila pulled back,"Where is she - oh, baby!"_

_She dropped to her knees in front of Little Evanna, who still stared at Grant, her face void of emotion, her eyes wide._

_"Is she okay?" Sheila asked,"Is she hurt?"_

_"She's in shock."_

_"Evanna, baby, can you hear me? Baby, look at me." Sheila looked back at Damon,"What do we do? How do we help her?"_

_"I -"_

_"Can take the memory away." Sheila finished,"You can do that. Damon, please you have to, she's too young, she's -"_

_"Sheila," Damon placed his hands on her shoulders,"Okay. If it's what you want."_

_"She can't remember any of this. She's just a child."_

_Damon nodded,"What do you want me to tell her?"_

_"He - he died in his sleep." Sheila cried,"It was peaceful, and it was painless, and he's - he's in a better place."_

_Damon nodded,"You go to the car. I'll bring her to you, bring you home, and then I'll sort out the... the body."_

_Sheila placed her hand over her mouth and nodded,"We need to find out who did this."_

_"I will." Damon nodded,"Go on."_

_Big Evanna watched as Sheila left the scene, and turned her attention back to Damon, who moved to kneel in front of Little Evanna._

_"Evanna..." He called softly, reaching out to touch her face. He gently moved Evanna's face to look at him and maintained eye contact as he spoke in a low, serious voice._

_"You're going to go asleep, and when you wake up, you'll remember nothing about what happened here tonight. You won't remember me, you won't remember vampires, and you won't remember using your powers. None of it, okay? You'll remember waking up after having a great night with your grandparents, and being told by Sheila that your grandfather died in his sleep. He was happy, and he loved you, and he didn't suffer."_

_The compulsion ended then, and Big Evanna watched as Little Evanna slumped forward in Damon's arms, asleep._

_She watched him pick the child up and carry her away from the scene._

When Evanna woke up, his eyes were the first she saw.

And she didn't react well.

* * *

**Oh! So there it is! The big reveal! I was waiting for this moment since writing season 1 and I'm so glad I've finally gotten to it! Let me know what you think, and be warned, angst ahead.**

**- Megan.**


	13. Chapter 13

Old Promises and New Beginnings

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

So, so, so sorry about the wait! My laptop kinda had a breakdown but it's back in action, finally!

* * *

Damon's eyes were the first ones she met when she flew up, gasping for breath she didn't need.

Evanna froze, looking at him and flinched back when he reached out to touch her. Frowning, Sheila approached the bed, stretching her hand out towards her granddaughter. To everyone's surprise, the harsh glare Evanna had settled on Damon settled on Sheila too, and she sat up, moving away from both of them.

"Don't touch me."

"Evanna, what's wrong?" Damon asked, his blue eyes worried, his eyebrows creased as he searched her face for something.

She didn't reply, her eyes going to Alec. Immediately, her expression smoothed out to one of confusion.

"What's he doing here?"

Klaus waved her off,"He tagged along. Trained in first-aid, or something. Doesn't matter. What I'd like to know is -"

Evanna's eyes widened as she shifted quickly, standing up too fast. Her head swam, white spots blurred in her vision, and her stomach twisted. She prayed she wasn't going to get sick again, and through her dazed haze, she felt strong arms slip around her.

On one side of her was Klaus, and on the other, was Damon. She shied away from the blue-eyed vampire, leaning more-so on Klaus and confusing everyone else in the room even further.

Damon almost looked hurt. Evanna removed herself from Klaus, holding up a hand.

"I'm fine. I just need... air." She scrunched up her face, shaking her head,"Space, whatever."

She pushed passed everyone, and opened the door, stepping outside. She could hear them pause in the room, before she heard someone - possibly Sheila, judging by the soft click of heels - and looked around before looking down at herself. Still dressed from the party.

By the time Sheila opened the door to check on her granddaughter, Evanna was already gone.

* * *

She wasn't really sure where she was going. She was just walking. It was surprisingly cold, and had she been in the right frame of mind, she would have realised that she could feel it, even when she wasn't supposed to.

It was probably one of her more stupid ideas; going out alone, knowing Deacon was hanging around nearby. But she didn't care.

She just needed to be away.

She strolled through the beautiful park, arms wrapped protectively around herself as she stopped at a swing set. She lowered herself down onto it, swinging back and forth absentmindedly. Her head rose slightly and she sighed.

"What made you look here?"

"My impeccable tracking skills." His smooth voice chimed. Klaus took a seat on the swing beside hers, staring up into the night sky. There were orange streaks beginning to appear over the horizon, a tell-tale sign that dawn was approaching.

"And, I knew that, for whatever reason, you don't want to be around your grandmother or Damon, so I sent them in a different direction."

Klaus was surprised when, instead of denying any new found tension, Evanna simply thanked him.

"So, what is it?"

Evanna shrugged,"Don't wanna talk about it."

"I take it you don't want to talk about what happened at the party either."

"Nope."

"Okay." He nodded,"Ice-cream? Saw this little 24-hour place on my way here."

Evanna frowned and then glanced at him. Klaus raised his eyebrows, silently asking her if she was interested. She wasn't.

"Suit yourself."

Evanna blew out a breath, tapping her foot against the ground. She seemed to want to say something, only to pause, and then open her mouth again.

"You know when you believe something for a good part of your life, and then suddenly, the truth hits you in the face?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes.

"I got a memory back. That's why I left. Messed me up, is all."

"And it has something to do with Damon and your grandmother?"

Evanna nodded,"And I don't know what to do."

Evanna sighed, and stood up,"But I know what I want to do."

"What is that?" Klaus asked, standing up too.

"I want to find Deacon, and I want to kill him." Evanna stated clearly,"But, I'll need help."

"Are you suggesting we team up?"

"Yes."

"I'm in." Klaus grinned, turning on his heel to walk away. Evanna sped forward, stopping in front of him.

"_But_, we tell nobody. Not Damon, or Grams, _not _Caroline. We go about things our own way."

Klaus stuck out his hand for her to shake, which she did, and smiled.

"Deal. So... how do you feel about that ice-cream?"

"I was thinking alcohol."

"Alcohol and ice-cream?"

"Perfect."

* * *

Okay, I know there wasn't much, but it'll all pay-off, I promise. Next chapter; confrontations.

I was wondering; how does everyone feel about the Klaus/Evanna in these past few chapters? They've come a long way from the past (where they were trying to kill each other at every given chance).

Let me know in the reviews! See you next chapter! :)

- Megan.


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